Defense Attorneys for Prisoners in Baku Appeal to Court for Their Justification

Syuranush Sahakyan, who represents the interests of prisoners at the European Court, stated in an interview with MediaHub that it was significant that the petition was submitted by lawyers from the public defender's office of individuals involved in the 2023 military actions, rather than those associated with the former leadership of Artsakh.

Sahakyan noted that the petition would have no impact, a fact acknowledged by the public defenders as well. She emphasized that throughout the trials, effective defense had not been organized, resulting in Armenian prisoners being deprived of their right to adequate legal representation.

According to her assessment, the courts are likely to hand down guilty verdicts. Sahakyan mentioned that this tactic is aimed at neutralizing the step of refusing the private defender, Ruben Vardanyan, as even the private defender did not have the opportunity to effectively organize a defense under objective conditions, thereby rendering the right to defense ineffective.

The sham trial session took place on November 27, with the next scheduled for December 4. Sessions at the military court in Baku are conducted without the presence of international media or observers, and information is published through government-controlled media outlets.

Among the prisoners are representatives of the former military-political leadership of Artsakh.