The National Assembly of Artsakh issued a statement regarding the “trials” and “sentences” handed down against Armenian prisoners of war in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
“The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, as the legitimate representative body of the Armenians of Artsakh, strongly condemns the fabricated “trials” organized by the Azerbaijani authorities against captured Armenian military and political figures and civilians of the Republic of Artsakh.
The fabricated charges presented in these trials and the resulting sentences have nothing to do with justice and are a clear manifestation of state terrorism and political vendetta aimed at discrediting the Armenian people’s struggle to defend their rights, which has lasted for over three decades and is conducted in full compliance with international law, in particular one of its fundamental principles – the right to self-determination.
These fabricated “trials” in Azerbaijan are a continuation of the military aggression against Artsakh, accompanied by war crimes unleashed in 2020 and ethnic cleansing and acts of genocide committed in 2023, which international law clearly qualifies as crimes against humanity.
Continued inaction and indifference. It is unacceptable and condemnable that the authorities of the Republic of Armenia not only bring fabricated charges and fabricated “accusations” against their compatriots but also display political shortsightedness, as this creates the basis for future accusations against the Republic of Armenia as a state that promotes terrorism.
Whether the international community notices it or not amid geopolitical upheavals, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been an integral part of international relations and the agenda of the UN and OSCE for over three decades. For 15 years, the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the leaders of the three permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Russia, and France – have affirmed that the conflict must be resolved through negotiations and based on the right to self-determination.
Therefore, in the absence of an adequate response from these institutions, the “judgments” adopted in Baku against the military-political leadership of Artsakh apply equally to the leaders of these countries and international organizations.
The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh stated:
“We will consistently fight to protect the rights of our compatriots and the return of our people to their homeland, and we are confident that justice will ultimately prevail and the real criminals will receive their deserved punishment.”