French draft resolution pushes for Artsakh prisoners' freedom

PanARMENIAN.Net - The French National Assembly will soon consider a resolution calling for the immediate release of the political leaders of the Republic of Artsakh currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The resolution will be introduced by Laurent Wauquiez on behalf of the France-Armenia Friendship Group, Factor.am reports.

The draft resolution condemns the ongoing trials of Armenian detainees as part of Azerbaijan’s systematic policy aimed at denying Armenia’s existence, and as a continuation of efforts to eliminate the Armenian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and other Azerbaijani-controlled regions. It also denounces the destruction of Armenian historical, cultural, and religious heritage.

Key points of the resolution include:

• Support for forcibly displaced Armenians from Artsakh, who have lost the right to live on their ancestral lands.
• Emphasis on the right to self-determination, which the resolution says must apply to Artsakh’s Armenian population. It underscores the international community’s duty to demand that Azerbaijan guarantee conditions for safe return and security.
• Condemnation of the ongoing trials and arbitrary detention of former Artsakh political leaders, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
• A call to the French government to officially request that Azerbaijan free all Armenian detainees in its custody.

The resolution also warns that ignoring the prisoners’ situation could undermine the implementation of the joint declaration signed in Washington on August 8, 2025.

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a full-scale offensive against Artsakh, subjecting the region to mass shelling. One day later, on September 20, the Artsakh authorities agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russian peacekeepers and accepted Baku’s terms, which included the disarmament of Artsakh’s forces and the dissolution of the republic. The assault killed 223 people, including 20 civilians, 6 of whom were children. Forced displacement began on September 24, with over 100,000 Armenians fleeing to Armenia. Only about 20 Armenians remained in Artsakh, most of whom later left or were detained.