An opposition lawmaker proposed holding discussions on the Armenian prisoners of war held by Baku

ArmInfo. Gegham Manukyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the opposition Armenia faction, proposed organizing closed discussions in the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security devoted to the issue of Armenian prisoners of war held by Baku.

At the committee meeting, addressing representatives of the ruling faction, Gegham Manukyan called, in particular, for discussing the problems that may be hidden in the sentences handed down against the Armenian prisoners. He proposed inviting representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the National Security Service to the discussions. Moreover, as the politician noted, the subject of the discussions should not be the fate of the prisoners of war themselves, but the concerns regarding threats to Armenia mentioned in the messages of David Manukyan and David Ishkhanyan.

In this regard, Vilen Gabrielyan, chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security, noted that the issue raised by Manukyan could be discussed.

We remind you that Artsakh Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan, who has been held in Azerbaijani captivity since September 2023, sent another appeal from the Baku dungeons, in which he touched upon the activities of the ombudspersons of Armenia and Azerbaijan and called on the Armenian authorities to show a little dignity. In the audio message disseminated by Armenian media, referring to Azerbaijani Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva’s statement that actions toward Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan are carried out within the framework of the law, human rights and international norms, and that she is in contact with Armenians, Ishkhanyan pointed out that over three years Aliyeva had met with them three times. According to him, the last meeting took place on May 5 this year, four months ago. "During these confidential meetings, as she said, we provided her with a great deal of information very openly and clearly about our rights, violations of international law concerning both our rights and other issues. We expected her mediation and support. We are not ungrateful, and taking this opportunity, I would like to once again publicly thank Ms. Sabina for her kindness, the coffee, tea, sweets and books she sent us, but our problems are not everyday matters; everyday life is secondary," he added. He then recalled that during the meeting on May 5 this year, he had appealed to the ombudsperson in writing and orally, asking her to deliver to his family the Azerbaijani and Armenian versions of the military court’s verdict of February 5. "I also informed her that neither my lawyer nor any other defense lawyer has this verdict. By the way, there is still no ban on this. She promised to deliver the Azerbaijani version of the verdict. More than four months have passed, and nothing has happened; my family and I are waiting, Ms. Aliyeva. Do my family and relatives have the right to know what charges we are being tried on and what verdict has been handed down? The same applies to other families. Is it a violation of the law or regulations that defense lawyers are not provided with the indictment or the verdict? We are also trying to convey what we have, but they do not allow it; they simply create obstacles," he further noted. He also pointed out that seven months had already passed since the verdicts against the Armenian prisoners were handed down, but the verdict had still not been published anywhere, and they also did not have access to the decision of the Baku court of August 6, 2026.  He then addressed the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and individuals in the Armenian government. "Dear Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, on May 6 I contacted you remotely with several questions, having certain expectations, but to no avail. I will not repeat the questions, but at that time I doubted your responsibility and courage, and it seems I was not mistaken. It would not be difficult for you to obtain this verdict and the indictment by any means and deliver them to my family. At the same time, you could familiarize yourself with their contents and find out what fabricated and false accusations and formulations had been brought against our people and our state. Demand and obtain, as the Azerbaijani press puts it, the documents called the indictments and verdicts of citizens of the Republic of Armenia of Armenian origin, and discuss for yourselves whether there are any issues here affecting Armenian statehood and the state, as well as the rights and honor of the Armenian people. Naturally, we have provided and continue to provide well-founded, reasoned and dignified answers and explanations to all of this. Do not doubt that this process has turned into a complete fiasco for the Azerbaijani judicial system. We spoke about this in court, but that is a different matter from how it is presented by the dependent and censored press that attended the court hearing," Ishkhanyan’s appeal said.

It should be noted that the exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons is still unknown. Experts estimate that there are several hundred of them. Today, the Azerbaijani authorities confirm that they are holding 19 Armenians. Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are 8 former and current representatives of Artsakh’s military and political leadership. They include former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, as well as Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan, former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, General Levon Mnatsakanyan, General David Manukyan and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. In February, the Baku puppet court sentenced Arayik Harutyunyan, David Babayan, David Ishkhanyan, David Manukyan and Levon Mnatsakanyan to life imprisonment on fabricated charges, while Bako Sahakyan, Arkady Ghukasyan and Ruben Vardanyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison. The so-called court sentenced the other Artsakh Armenians to up to 15 years in prison.