Siranush Sahakyan on Armenian Prisoners Held in Baku and the Closure of the Red Cross in Azerbaijan

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officially announced yesterday that, due to a decision by the Azerbaijani government, it will cease its operations in Azerbaijan as of September 3. In this regard, NEWS.am spoke with Siranush Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law, representative of Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights, and lawyer.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross was essentially the only international organization that had access to prisoners and political detainees held in Baku. Through this organization, families could send parcels, and during the organization’s visits, phone calls between the prisoners and their families were arranged. The Red Cross also provided information to the families. Currently, there is no independent organization that can provide unbiased and accurate information about the real condition of Armenian prisoners. This is an extremely concerning circumstance as it opens up a new horizon for the physical and psychological torture of prisoners. The already discontinued visits of the Red Cross since June have had severe ramifications. Recent phone calls revealed that prisoners are facing serious health and psychological issues. This clearly indicates that the lack of international oversight poses an immediate threat to their lives and safety,” Sahakyan stated.

According to Siranush Sahakyan, brief phone calls do occur between Armenian prisoners held in Baku and their relatives. But unfortunately, no one can say what condition they are in anymore. Azerbaijani media reported in July that their local committee against torture had visited and monitored the State Security Service's detention facility, meeting with Armenian prisoners, who allegedly had no complaints. Apparently, these reports are intended to demonstrate that they are fulfilling the functions of the Red Cross through their local structures since the European Court of Human Rights has imposed interim measures, according to which Azerbaijan is obliged to regularly inform about the protection of their rights and health situation.

However, Azerbaijan not only hesitates to fulfill this obligation but also attempts to submit motions to lift the implemented measures by providing unilateral, often factually inaccurate false information to the court.

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