23 Armenian Prisoners Tortured and Humiliated in Baku: Siranush Sahakyan

During this entire period, no independent mechanism for preventing torture has been able to enter, visit the Armenians held in Baku, and record the conditions of detention and their physical or psychological state from an objective standpoint. This was stated today, April 10, during a panel discussion regarding Armenian prisoners held in Baku, by Siranush Sahakyan, a defender of the rights of prisoners at the European Court.

She noted that the only organization whose activities are currently under threat in Baku is the International Committee of the Red Cross. Officials from the Committee visit the prisoners on a biweekly basis, but these visits are often changed around pre-holiday days or during organized events.

“Azerbaijan constantly uses these factors to postpone scheduled visits. Red Cross representatives document the conditions, but the recorded issues are not subject to public disclosure. Only partial information may be available to family members. The documented issues are confidentially transmitted to Azerbaijani authorities with the hope that they will be resolved. In this regard, we have not seen significant movement,” said the rights defender.

Regarding physical and psychological abuse, and the humiliating and degrading practices that offend the dignity of Armenians, she asserted that no progress has been observed in this area. Furthermore, against the backdrop of certain developments, we may see a tightening of such manifestations,” the advocate added.

She insisted that Armenians have been and continue to be held in inhumane conditions in Azerbaijani prisons and are subjected to pressures that are classified as torture by nature and intensity of pain inflicted. The rights defender pointed out that the Red Cross is not traditionally considered a body for preventing torture. “Authorized mechanisms for preventing torture include, for example, lawyers and independent doctors, and in this regard, no independent lawyer has ever had the chance to meet with any Armenian. Only Azerbaijani lawyers have utilized the visits. Access for international lawyers has been denied. We have made several attempts, for instance, we applied presenting our recognition by the ECHR, requesting the opportunity to meet with our clients. It is clear that this opportunity has not been granted,” she stated.