NA MP Taguhi Tovmasyan sent urgent letters to her international colleagues and a number of international organizations.
"I drew their attention to the trial of Armenian military and political leaders that took place in Baku on October 17 of this year and to the entire legal process.
Ethnic Armenians, our compatriots who stayed in Artsakh until the last moment during the war, are condemned, humiliated and tortured in Baku.
The trial took place in the military court of Baku and 15 Armenians: Arkadi Ghukasyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Manukyan, Garik Martirosyan, Melikset Pashayan, Davit Alaverdyan, Gurgen Stepanyan, Levon Balayan, Madat Babayan, Vasili Beglaryan, Erik Ghazaryan, accusation was nominated with 2,548 episodes.
This is not madness, but even more. I presented the situation to my international colleagues and alerted them.
Before the trial, Ruben Vardanyan, a political prisoner and Minister of State of Artsakh, stated that his lawyer and translator were forced to sign documents in retrospect, including false records of interrogations that did not take place.
He was not given the opportunity to get acquainted with the case in a language he understood, was tortured, was forbidden to drink water, use toilet paper and other inhumane actions. And he is not the first person to complain about the prison conditions in Azerbaijan.
The statement of Ruben Vardanyan, who is being held in Baku, about the issues related to legal protection and false records of interrogations is a serious violation, which contradicts the fundamental principles of the right to a fair trial.
I want to emphasize that Azerbaijan, in violation of the Geneva Convention, refuses to return the Armenian prisoners after the war. The accusations of the former leadership of Artsakh and other persons are of an obvious political nature.
The accusations of "terrorism" and "forming an illegal armed group" serve only political interests, violating the norms of international humanitarian law.
Considering the above, I have asked my international partners to make efforts within their mandate to get international independent observers involved in these trials.
.They will go out in the open and be covered,
Call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to stop the torture of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians.
Fulfilling the international obligations to demand their immediate return to their homeland."
