GENEVA – On Monday, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan condemned the trials of former Nagorno-Karabakh leaders jailed in Azerbaijan during a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“The mock trials against 23 Armenian individuals—who are arbitrarily detained—are taking place in Azerbaijan with a disregard for human rights standards for due process,” Mirzoyan said at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council.
The defendants, who face a long list of charges, include three former Karabakh presidents—Araik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arkady Ghukasyan—and Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian billionaire who briefly served as Karabakh’s prime minister. All were captured by Azerbaijan during or shortly after its military offensive in September 2023, which forced the entire population of Karabakh to flee to Armenia.
“One year ago, the High Commissioner for Human Rights informed this Council that the OHCHR deployed two teams to Armenia to collect information about the situation of more than 115,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. We believe that the results of the mission will be an important contribution toward advancing reconciliation efforts,” said Mirzoyan.
Mirzoyan stated that the Republic of Armenia, remaining faithful to its agenda of establishing peace and stability in the region, has made several constructive proposals to the Azerbaijani side. These proposals include measures within the context of the Peace Agreement—such as opening transport infrastructure, implementing mutual arms control, and establishing a verification mechanism—in recognition of the need to forge a strategic deal that resolves all major issues.
“We remain convinced that a constructive response, further engagement, and a demonstration of political will by both parties will largely contribute to opening a new era of peace in our region. In this context, I would like once again to reconfirm the willingness of the Armenian side to turn the page on enmity and establish institutionalized peace. We are not only ready for this, but we will not divert from this path.”
“Unfortunately, most of those challenges remain unresolved despite the tremendous efforts of my country. Statements coming from our eastern neighbor continue to question the territorial integrity of Armenia, despite the mutual recognition of territorial integrity based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration.”
