Civil Contract MP Sargis Khandanyan stated that Azerbaijan’s highly publicized trials of Artsakh’s former political-military leadership and other Armenian detainees are intended to manipulate Armenian emotions.

"The temptation is great to make strong statements on this issue, but we must assess whether such words help or harm the return of our captives held in Baku," Khandanyan emphasized, as reported by Aysor.am.

Another Civil Contract MP, Artur Hovhannisyan, also addressed the issue, stressing that it is an extremely delicate matter.

"Every comment made from here is directly linked to ongoing processes and certain agreements," he said.

*The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasizing that it continues to draw the attention of international partners to the issue of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and other detainees held in Azerbaijan. The ministry also highlighted the severe procedural violations and signs of torture in the staged trials of some of these individuals.

Human rights advocate Siranush Sahakyan has reported that recent photos of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan show visible injuries on his body. Vardanyan has been on a hunger strike for a week. During his last court hearing, his health sharply deteriorated, and images from the trial revealed injuries on his face. Despite this, the court forced him to attend the session. His international lawyer recently stated that Vardanyan’s life is at serious risk.*