ArmInfo. Armenia's official stance on the military-political leadership of Artsakh and other hostages in Baku prisons has a significantly negative impact on the process of their release. This opinion was expressed by Larisa Alaverdyan, Armenia's first ombudsman and a human rights activist, in an interview with an ArmInfo correspondent, while commenting on the passivity of the current Armenian authorities regarding the unjust trials taking place in Azerbaijan.
At the same time, the human rights activist posed a very important question: what role did the current Armenian authorities play in the seizure and unlawful detention of hostages? "This issue must be investigated sooner or later, and we will eventually obtain a clear answer to it," Alaverdyan assured. She expressed the opinion that Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan's recent statements, especially regarding the military-political leadership of Artsakh, indicate that the authorities attitude towards this problem wasn't a sudden development. She noted that there could be a vested interest in some or all of the illegally detained individuals remaining in captivity.
Referring to Pashinyan's remarks that he does not consider any of those taken hostage to be his political opponents, Alaverdyan cautioned against placing trust in the words of the Prime Minister. She recalled that there have been many analytical materials in the press indicating that Pashinyan actually saw Ruben Vardanyan as his main rival. At the same time, the human rights activist is confident that the illegal trials in Baku are not just a display of hostility towards the hostages, but are in fact a trial of the foundations of international law. "The time will come when this will be described as a disgrace to the UN, a disgrace to European structures and modern civilization," the expert emphasized.
The human rights activist emphasized that Armenia is hindering the establishment of a unified international consensus on Azerbaijan, with Armenia's official stance having a highly negative impact. Alaverdyan drew attention to the fact that there are many statements by members of the European Parliament and other national parliaments in support of Armenians illegally detained in Azerbaijan today; the lack of a unified approach to the application of sanctions against Azerbaijan is condemned. However, she believes that changes need to start within Armenia itself, and the Armenian authorities must clearly state their position regarding the illegal and criminal acts of Azerbaijan and defend it at the highest levels - both in international judicial bodies and other political platforms.