If Armenia Refuses Visits, the Issue of Prisoners Will Become Unresolvable: Siranush Sahakyan

If the Republic of Armenia refuses the claims made in international courts, the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Baku will become unresolvable. If the political path fails, they will find themselves in a defenseless situation. This was stated by Siranush Sahakyan, a representative and lawyer for Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in an interview with NEWS.am. She expressed hope that U.S. President Donald Trump would fulfill the promise made during meetings in Washington, while also stating that Ilham Aliyev, as a humanitarian gesture, would liberate Armenian prisoners held in Baku.

“The peace agreement does not even contain provisions related to prisoners, but the issue is included in inter-state lawsuits. Therefore, if Armenia refuses visits, the issue of prisoners will become unresolvable,” said Sahakyan.

Siranush Sahakyan pointed out that the “Peace Agreement” entails a commitment to renounce any legal disputes. “The question arises: if the provisions of the agreement are violated and Azerbaijan shows no behavioral changes, what will be Armenia's course of action? Will they generate new legal disputes in conditions where they have committed to renouncing ongoing legal disputes? Here, it seems that a contradictory, casuistic situation is being created,” added Sahakyan.