ArmInfo. More than twenty Armenian human rights non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and individual human rights activists have issued a joint appeal to a number of international and human rights organizations and foreign ambassadors in Azerbaijan urging them to monitor the "trials" of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, that began today, January 17, in Baku.
According to a message received by ArmInfo, the appeal was sent to the UN Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European Commission, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Fair Trials, the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association and other organizations. The letter was also addressed to the ambassadors of the United States, France, Great Britain and several other countries in Azerbaijan.
"We, human rights defenders and representatives of Armenian civil society and, express our deep concern over the ongoing detention and criminal proceedings against Armenian prisoners of war and civilian detainees currently held in Azerbaijan. Given the severity of the charges and the extensive violations of human rights observed during these legal proceedings, we formally request international monitoring to ensure that principles of justice and fait trials are upheld for Armenian defendants," the letter states. It also highlights that the trials initiated by Azerbaijan against Armenian prisoners of war and civilians raise serious concerns given the violations of international fair trial standards.
"According to observations to date, these trials were conducted with numerous procedural violations, including violation of the presumption of innocence, lack of access to case materials in an accessible language, inadequate legal representation, the right to defense, as well as the absolute absence of the rights of an independent and impartial tribunal," the statement says. Human rights activists draw attention to the fact that legal aid provided by Azerbaijan lacks independence and effectiveness, and independent lawyers are intimidated and obstructed from performing their professional duties. "Moreover, these fabricated cases and show trials not only undermine the rights of the accused but also perpetuate state-sponsored Armenophobia and hate propaganda against Armenians, as documented by international human rights organizations. We appeal to you with a request to immediately cooperate with the Azerbaijani authorities to organize independent monitoring and publication of the outcomes of the oncoming and upcoming trials involving Armenian detainees. Such oversight is crucial to ensure that the legal rights of ethnic Armenian prisoners of war and detainees are safeguarded, that they receive fair trials, and that international standards of justice and impartiality are upheld," the letter concludes.