Statement by Veronika Zonabend on the Humanitarian Visit to Baku
The international women’s humanitarian delegation will be ready to travel to Baku as soon as access to the Armenian hostages and security arrangements for its members can be agreed. We bear responsibility for each of them and therefore consider it necessary to reach these agreements first.
The delegation includes women from different countries known for their civic and professional work. They intended to visit all the Armenian hostages at the Umbaki penitentiary complex and to deliver letters, photographs and parcels from their loved ones.
Since June 2026, I have appealed several times to the Commissioner for Human Rights of Azerbaijan. I proposed different formats: a visit by the full delegation, by a smaller group, or a visit accompanied by a representative of her Office. I also asked for the security arrangements to be agreed. Unfortunately, we have not yet received a reply.
In the meantime, publications appeared in Azerbaijani media suggesting that I could be arrested if I came to the country. We are also concerned that, since 25 August, Ruben’s local lawyer has been denied access to him. We hope this issue will be resolved.
I also turned to the Government of Armenia for diplomatic assistance. Since Siranush Sahakyan and I met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 17 August, a responsible official has still not been named, and our written request has so far gone unanswered.
Economic contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan are developing, and Armenian delegations visit Azerbaijan. This demonstrates that all the prerequisites for organising a humanitarian visit are in place. A visit to the Armenian hostages should be included on the agenda of one of these trips.
We decided not to hold back the letters that the delegation was to deliver in person. On 1 October, 1,254 letters collected for all the Armenian hostages were handed to the Government of Armenia with a request to help deliver them to Baku. We hope that every letter will reach its recipient. Each hostage must receive these words of support and know that they are remembered.
I am grateful to every member of the delegation and to everyone who wrote a letter of support.
Our goal remains the same: to see our loved ones and to restore the hostages’ contact with their families. We will continue this work until all of them return home. We understand that this path may be long, but we believe it will lead to a just resolution.
Veronika Zonabend
