PACE Calls on Azerbaijan to Release Politically Detained Armenians
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on Azerbaijani authorities to release individuals detained on politically motivated grounds, including 23 Armenians, according to a resolution adopted during the Assembly’s 2026 Winter Session in Strasbourg.
The resolution was adopted as part of PACE’s regular monitoring of Council of Europe member states. The document covers the situation in several countries under monitoring, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The resolution was approved by 75 votes in favor, with one vote against and three abstentions. Members of Armenia’s delegation to PACE Ruben Rubinyan and Sona Ghazaryan voted in favor of the document, while opposition MP Armen Gevorgyan abstained. One Swiss parliamentarian voted against the resolution, while another representative from Switzerland and a delegate from Liechtenstein abstained.
In the section concerning Azerbaijan, PACE expresses serious concern over the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in the country and the growing number of individuals detained on allegedly politically motivated grounds. These include civil society activists, journalists and media workers, academics, opposition politicians, and other government critics.
PACE calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to end retaliatory prosecutions and to immediately release all persons detained on politically motivated charges, explicitly including 23 Armenian detainees, described in the resolution as former representatives of the military and political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Assembly also urges Azerbaijan to amend legislation on political parties, media, and non-governmental organizations in line with recommendations of the Venice Commission, to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and to restore full cooperation with Council of Europe bodies. PACE further condemns Azerbaijan’s decision to declare several Assembly members persona non grata and calls for the immediate reversal of that decision.
In the section addressing Armenia, the resolution notes concerns over excessive political polarization and stigmatization of political opponents, as well as tensions between the Prime Minister and the leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church. At the same time, PACE reaffirms that Armenia’s three consecutive elections since 2018 were conducted without irregularities and calls for further efforts to strengthen democratic governance ahead of the June 2026 parliamentary elections.
