ArmInfo.False accusations and a fabricated trial against the former military-political leadership of Artsakh will remain a means of pressure as long as the Armenian authorities remain indifferent to the lawlessness of Azerbaijan. This is stated in a statement by the civil initiative "We Are" in connection with the ongoing illegal trial against the former military-political leadership of Artsakh and other hostages.
In a statement received by ArmInfo, the civil initiative draws attention to the fact that the Armenians being tried in Baku are in fact accused of realizing the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination, and the trial itself is aimed at Azerbaijan's attempt to hide its own crimes and genocidal actions.
The statement also notes that in international practice, any negotiations begin with the release of prisoners and continue only after that. In this vein, they explained that against the background of the silence of the state bodies of Armenia, the reaction of international organizations to various private initiatives is not surprising.
"The civil initiative "We Are" condemns the judicial farce staged by the authorities of Azerbaijan against prisoners, detainees and military-political leaders of Artsakh. This trial is in fact a psychological terror against the Republic of Armenia, aimed at exerting additional pressure on the country and humiliating the Armenian people," the statement continued.
In this vein, "We Are" demanded that the Armenian authorities do everything possible and impossible to save their compatriots from the hell of Baku prisons as soon as possible. "From the participating countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, especially the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries - to respect the results of their own long-term work on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and also - in the context of the protection of individual and collective rights - to speak out against gross violations of international law by Azerbaijan," the civil initiative concluded.
On January 17, under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, the Baku Military Court began considering the "indictment" against the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh. Among the accused are three former presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh: Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arayik Harutyunyan. Also appearing before the court will be former Foreign Minister David Babayan, Speaker of the Parliament David Ishkhanyan, former Commander of the Defense Army General Levon Mnatsakanyan, General David Manukyan and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.
On January 16, Vardanyan made a statement in which he demanded that he and his lawyer be given the opportunity to fully prepare for the defense; that all violations and falsifications be eliminated; that the trial of him and all the other accused be made public. "I insist on a maximally open trial with the participation of international journalists and representatives of humanitarian organizations. I am convinced that only a real court, and not a trial, will help take a step forward on the difficult path of building new relations between our peoples," he emphasized. In conclusion, he demanded that his case be combined with the cases of other defendants. "More than 400 volumes of my case out of 422 are episodes of a common case. Separating my case into a separate proceeding is an artificial and unfounded decision," Vardanyan added.