Background

The Baku prisoners

During the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Armenians from the capital city (Stepanakert), the Azerbaijani Government arrested eight former members of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh’s government and advocates for the self-determination of Artsakh. Those detained include Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian businessman and philanthropist who served as the State Minister of the Artsakh government; three former presidents of the Republic, Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan; and other former officials, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, David Ishkanyan, and Davit Manukyan.

These individuals are being detained in clear violation of domestic and international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It’s shocking to see Azerbaijan listed as a party to these frameworks yet choosing to violate them so blatantly.

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