Former Artsakh Parliament Speaker issues another message from Baku  prison

ArmInfo.  Davit Ishkhanyan, the former Speaker of the Artsakh Parliament currently being held in  Baku prison, has issued another message from detention. In it, he  draws public attention to the fact that his defense attorneys have  still not been provided with the formal indictment, case summary, or  the verdict.

In his appeal, published on the Artsakh Parliament's Facebook page,  Ishkhanyan noted that the "peaceful trial" continues in the  Azerbaijani Court of Appeals. He added that no one has any illusions  and understands that the trial is a formality. However, the Armenian  prisoners took this step, understanding that it is a necessary step  toward taking their cases to international courts. According to him,  some lawyers are even expressing concern in court that the outcome of  the international courts could have grave consequences for Azerbaijan  and that they risk losing.

He reiterated that their trial is politically motivated, and  described the proceedings against him as "a politically ordered  trial" that has "nothing to do with criminal offenses." They are  based on ethnic and national hatred. Ishkhanyan added that the trial  was conducted in gross violation of Azerbaijani and international  law, and that the verdict was handed down without concrete evidence  or facts, making the case a fabrication. As an example, Ishkhanyan  claimed that one defendant born in 1993 was accused of participating  in military operations in 1991 and 1992 and was sentenced to 15 years  in prison.

      "As I've stated before, this is a trial against Armenia and the  Armenian people, with far-reaching plans and goals. They scoff at our  possible appeal to international courts. The most difficult part is  when they throw this in our faces: 'If your own authorities are doing  nothing and are not interested in your return, what do you expect  from international institutions or courts? What can they do? That's  the situation. There are already rumors that the Supreme Court will  likely reject our cases and are trying to create a biased situation  to artificially interfere in the situation," he continued.

According to the Artsakh politician, his lawyers have still not been  given the indictment, the conclusion, or the verdict. "Only after the  prisoners' demands did the judge allow the lawyers to review  electronic versions of the documents," he noted.