ICRC access to Armenian captives in Baku under threat

PanARMENIAN.Net - During a panel discussion, human rights advocate and legal representative at the European Court, Siranush Sahakyan, stated that no independent body for the prevention of torture has been granted access to the Armenian captives held in Baku throughout the entire period. She emphasized that this has made it impossible to objectively record the conditions of detention or the physical and psychological states of the prisoners.

She pointed out that the only entity whose mission has already come under threat is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to Panorama.am .

According to Sahakyan, ICRC staff have been visiting the detainees approximately every six weeks, but this schedule has often been disrupted due to holidays or event planning.

“Azerbaijan consistently exploits these factors to delay planned visits. The ICRC representatives do document the conditions, but the issues recorded are not made public. Only partial information might be accessible to the families. The documented issues are shared confidentially with the Azerbaijani authorities with the expectation that they will be resolved. However, from our standpoint, there has been no noticeable progress. On the contrary, in the context of certain developments, we are witnessing a tightening of conduct that includes physical and psychological abuse, as well as behavior degrading the dignity of Armenians,” said the lawyer.

She added that Armenian captives in Azerbaijani prisons are held in improper conditions and have been subjected to treatment that amounts to torture due to the intensity and inflicted pain.

Sahakyan emphasized that no international legal expert has been granted the opportunity to meet with the captives held in Baku.

U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly told Hikmet Hajiyev, National Security Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan, that the captives must be released and a peace agreement with Armenia finalized. Ruben Vardanyan’s lawyer Jared Genser has urged Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to closely examine statements made by former U.S. President Donald Trump and Mike Waltz.