Ensure the Unconditional Release of Armenian Prisoners Held in Azerbaijan: Lilith Galstyan's Speech

Member of the Armenian delegation and MP from the 'Armenia' faction Lilith Galstyan's speech at the autumn session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly:

“Dear colleagues,
The fact that Azerbaijan, which has recorded the worst indicators in the field of environmental protection and human rights, is to host COP29 shocked many. The decision to hold this significant gathering dedicated to climate change issues in Baku was made after Azerbaijan's military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, which forced the entire 120,000 Armenian population of Artsakh to leave their homeland permanently.

The forcible deportation of the entire Armenian population by Azerbaijan is essentially defined as ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity. It is evident that Azerbaijan will use this environmental gathering to absolve its own reputation while in reality, the regime continues its belligerent behavior towards Armenia, violating all fundamental rights of its own people.

Currently, Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees are held in Baku's prisons, many of whom were captured during the mass deportation. Among them are the political leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh who were illegally arrested in September 2023. The trials of these individuals are purely political persecutions with no relation to legality and justice.

The arbitrary detention without any evidence or due process is a blatant violation of all international norms, clearly infringing on the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. While Canada, the USA, and the UK have repeatedly called for the unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war and detainees, no decisive actions have been taken to ensure compliance with international legal principles.

Instead, ahead of the COP29 climate summit, Azerbaijan has barred dozens of members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from entering the country. These are the MPs who voted for the limitation of the Azerbaijani delegation's powers in the PACE.

Dear colleagues,
It is impossible to ensure climate justice without universal justice. Ultimately, our organization is based on the belief and values that all people and nations are equal in their rights and obligations. The international community has failed to resolve the issue of Artsakh, allowing genocidal actions to be carried out against them. This opens the door to new injustices and impunity for others.

I urge my colleagues to intensify their efforts, stand up for the victims of this forgotten war, and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and captives wrongfully detained in Azerbaijan. This is not only a matter of justice for the Armenian people. This is justice for all humanity.”