YEREVAN—Protests have been taking place in Yerevan since February 28, demanding the immediate release of Armenian prisoners illegally held in Baku. Non-governmental organizations, political figures and citizens are seeking to draw the attention of the international community and demanding the Armenian government to take stronger action to secure their freedom.
At least 23 political and military leaders from Artsakh are currently detained in Azerbaijani prisons, including former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arayik Harutyunyan; President of the National Assembly Davit Ishkhanyan; former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan; former Commander of the Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan; and other high-ranking officials.
In an interview with the Weekly, Gegham Stepanyan, Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, stated, “The testimonies extracted from individuals in Baku through direct threats to their lives, torture, inhuman treatment and coercion have no legal significance. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has also demanded the release of all arbitrarily convicted individuals and the provision of their right to a fair trial. This confirms that what is happening in Azerbaijan is illegal and that the resulting verdicts have no legal effect.”
Stepanyan also noted that Armenian authorities have yet to formally demand the prisoners’ release and expressed concern over Azerbaijan’s efforts to close humanitarian offices, including the U.N. Development Programme, the U.N. Refugee Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Azerbaijan has intensified its crackdown on civil society, demanding that the ICRC cease operations within the country—a move confirmed by the ICRC on March 5, 2025. The expulsion disrupts a critical channel for Armenian prisoners to maintain external contact. According to pro-government media outlet Caliber, United Nations agencies have also been notified to leave the country.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if an official demand is also made, especially since Azerbaijan has constantly tried to shut down the Stepanakert office of the Red Cross and is now talking about closing other offices, as well,” Stepanyan added.
On March 3, during the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for the release of all arbitrarily detained persons in Azerbaijan. “All those arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan, including ethnic Armenians, must be released immediately, and fair trial rights must be respected fully,” he said.
The following day, Azerbaijani Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva visited the Armenian detainees. According to Azerbaijani state media, she claimed that they “had not experienced any discrimination or ill-treatment,” and “were provided with adequate detention conditions and healthcare services.”
Meanwhile, Vardanyan has been on a hunger strike since February 18, protesting violations of Azerbaijani procedural law and international law in his ongoing trial. His lawyers warn that his health is rapidly deteriorating, with dangerously high blood pressure, weight loss and exhaustion.
Mane Tandilyan, leader of the “Country to Live” party, has also been on a hunger strike for five days in solidarity with the prisoners. Her condition worsened today, and she was hospitalized, according to the party’s co-founder Mesrop Arakelyan.
Tandilyan, who has been protesting in Yerevan’s Freedom Square since March 1, has appealed to Vardanyan to end his hunger strike, calling it an “irreversible threat to his life.”
“Ruben and our other prisoners are fighting for the sake of Armenia and the dignity of the Armenian people, for which they suffer unimaginable deprivations — remaining spiritually and morally stronger than most of us,” Tandilyan said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Armenian officials have only recently broken their silence on the ongoing trials of Armenian prisoners in Baku.
On February 28, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government continues to draw international attention to the “issue of the release of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other detained individuals held in Azerbaijan,” while condemning the “staged trials” against the detainees, which are being conducted with “gross procedural violations and clear signs of torture.”
That same day, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan told reporters that the government is making daily efforts for the release of all Armenian prisoners.
On February 24, Armenian Foreign Ministry Ararat Mirzoyan publicly criticized the trials for the first time, stating at a U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva: “As we speak, the mock trials against 23 Armenian individuals, who are arbitrarily detained, are taking place in Azerbaijan with disregard of human right standards for due process.”
However, during a parliamentary session on March 5, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the government will only take “proportionate and reasonable” measures to secure the prisoners’ release.
“The prime minister’s duty is to focus not just on one person but also on Armenia’s state interests and the interests of Armenia’s citizens, including focusing proportionately, reasonably on solving one person’s problems. If there is a goal to change this logic, then I would say that it is an unachievable goal,” Pashinyan said.
Previously, on March 1, PM Pashinyan told reporters that efforts to raise the issue in negotiations with Azerbaijan are “not immediately visible and have yet to yield results.”
“We refrained from making certain statements to avoid provoking torture and the use of prohibited methods. Why are we making a statement now? Because we see that we can no longer provoke anything further—it has already happened,” he said.
Meanwhile, protests continue in Yerevan, demanding stronger action from the Armenian government to secure the repatriation of Armenian prisoners and hostages held in Baku. Around 40 Armenian non-governmental organizations have signed letters submitted to FM Mirzoyan and Swiss Confederation President Karin Keller-Sutter.
These ongoing protests demonstrate that the issue of Armenian prisoners in Baku remains a significant concern for both Armenia and the international community. Addressing this issue requires concrete action and sustained attention to ensure the prisoners’ rights are protected and they are safely returned home.
Anna Harutyunyan
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The outrage over the sham trials in Baku is justified, but it must also be directed at those who enabled this injustice – Russia. The so-called Russian “peacekeepers” were not passive observers; their failure to uphold their mandate directly contributed to the tragic outcome in Artsakh. By standing aside, they allowed Azerbaijan to displace 120,000 Armenians and forcibly detain its leaders without resistance.
It was under Russia’s deliberate negligence and calculated indifference that Ruben Vardanyan and other Artsakh officials were arrested and now face politically motivated trials. Moscow, which presented itself as a guarantor of security, instead facilitated Azerbaijan’s complete takeover and failed to protect those it had pledged to defend.
This betrayal cannot be overlooked. If Armenians truly seek justice, their protests must extend beyond Armenian institutions, and anger be directed at Russian embassies in Yerevan, Washington, DC, Paris, and beyond. Silence will only embolden further injustices – Russia must be held accountable and pressured to act.
Best regards,
Berge Jololian
How come we are not doing this in front of the Azeri consulates in LA, NY or Paris?
Natural justice demands their release.
They are not “prisoners” but hostages.