Mane Tandilyan, leader of the Country to Live party, addressed the initiative by several members of the United Kingdom Parliament in a Facebook post. The MPs had sent a letter to their government condemning the imprisonment and trials of 23 Armenian detainees held in Baku.

Tandilyan emphasized that only consistent international pressure can influence Azerbaijan and help secure the release of Armenian captives currently held in Baku’s prisons.

“UK MPs Jessica Morden, John Whittingdale, Chris Law, and Lord Mark McInnes have sent a letter to the UK government strongly condemning the continued detention and prosecution of 23 Armenian prisoners held in Baku. They urged their government to exert pressure on Azerbaijan to facilitate their release.

The MPs stated that the detainees were representatives of the democratically elected authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh, arrested following Azerbaijan’s assault on the region and the subsequent forced displacement of approximately 120,000 Armenians.

The letter also calls for the British government to consider allowing embassy representatives in Baku to visit the 23 Armenian prisoners.

I thank the British MPs for raising the issue of our compatriots detained in Baku. It is only through clear and decisive international pressure that Azerbaijan can be influenced and Armenian prisoners in Baku’s prisons released,” Tandilyan wrote.

A group of UK parliamentarians has appealed to their government to put pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian prisoners. The letter specifically highlights “serious concerns, including reports from prisoners’ families and the diaspora in the UK, regarding lack of access to independent legal assistance, reports of physical and psychological torture, and the denial of access to trial proceedings for international organizations and media representatives.”