Siranush Sahakyan criticizes Armenian government’s silence over Baku detainees

YEREVAN — Human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the Armenian Legal Centre for Justice and Human Rights, Siranush Sahakyan, has criticized Armenia’s authorities for failing to respond to formal inquiries concerning Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, despite the expiration of legally mandated response deadlines.

In an October 23 interview with NEWS.am, Sahakyan said she and Veronika Zonabend, wife of imprisoned former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, met with representatives of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry and the interdepartmental commission responsible for prisoners of war, hostages and missing persons on August 17.

The meeting addressed the prisoners’ detention conditions and a proposed international humanitarian mission to Baku.

Following the discussions, the two submitted written inquiries seeking official responses.

“Regrettably, I have nothing new to report,” Sahakyan said, noting that the authorities had assured them the matter was a priority.

She expressed particular concern over the continued isolation of Armenian detainees. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross last visited them in December 2025, leaving families without regular independent humanitarian access to their loved ones.

Sahakyan also described Armenia’s failure to publicly raise the prisoners’ plight during high-level meetings surrounding the COP17 biodiversity conference in Yerevan as another missed diplomatic opportunity.

She stressed that protecting detainees is a state obligation and that their families are entitled to demand concrete action.

The remarks add to growing criticism of the Pashinyan government’s approach to Armenian prisoners, whose release remains unresolved despite continuing negotiations with Azerbaijan.

Sahakyan called for greater transparency, coordinated international efforts and a more proactive diplomatic strategy to secure humanitarian access and ultimately the prisoners’ release.