Lawyer: Armenian government failed to take key steps for POWs

PanARMENIAN.Net - The international lawyer representing former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who is unlawfully detained in Baku, Jared Genser, has criticized the Armenian government for not taking certain basic actions for the Armenian captives in Azerbaijan. He made this statement on X.

Genser provided several examples of how other governments have acted in securing the release of foreign hostages.

"I completely agree with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that he must exert 'proportionate and reasonable' efforts to free my client Ruben Vardanyan, as well as other Armenian Christian political prisoners and detainees in Azerbaijan.

All the points on this list are exclusively derived from my 25 years of experience in hostage-release cases worldwide. Surely, Armenian hostages deserve at least the same level of assistance as those in similar situations elsewhere.

For instance, when I represented two American hostages in Iran, Siamak Namazi and his father, the U.S. appointed a special envoy for hostage affairs who worked on the case. The White House and the State Department, including the Secretary of State, held regular meetings with my clients’ families. The U.S. also maintained a 'U.S. Interests Section' at the Swiss Embassy in Iran, advocating for better prison conditions and monitoring judicial proceedings," he wrote.

The lawyer further noted that the U.S. President and Secretary of State made public statements, American diplomats engaged their allies, appealed to the UN for assistance, and sought support from global religious leaders. Additionally, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for hostage-taking. He emphasized that all these measures were reasonable and proportionate.

"However, to my surprise, as far as I can tell, Armenia has not undertaken any of these fundamental actions for the Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan.

Therefore, I ask Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: Do you agree that such actions are reasonable and proportionate, or do you genuinely believe that the efforts made by President Trump to secure the release of Mark Fogel from Belarus and six American hostages from Venezuela were unreasonable and disproportionate?" the lawyer questioned in his statement.

During a parliamentary Q&A session, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, responding to MP Gegham Nazaryan's question about footage showing signs of violence from the Baku trials, stated that prohibited coercion was taking place, which is unacceptable. He added that Armenian diplomacy is doing everything possible while adhering to the principle of 'do no harm' as a priority.