ICRC's Baku Office to Cease Operations in September
The Baku office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will suspend its activities starting in September. Visits to Armenian prisoners of war have already been stopped since June. “This is part of a broader policy to push international organizations out of the country and, in doing so, restrict information about human rights violations,” said Siranush Sahakyan, head of the International and Comparative Law Center, in an interview with “Hetq.” “It’s also a targeted move, since ethnic Armenians are the ones facing a difficult humanitarian situation as a result of the conflict.”
According to Sahakyan, it is theoretically possible for the Red Cross to continue visiting Armenian prisoners even without maintaining an office in Azerbaijan, but this is unlikely. “If Azerbaijan truly respected humanitarian principles, it would allow the Red Cross to continue its operations. As I mentioned, we’re seeing clear targeting of Armenians. This stems from anti-Armenian policy and discrimination, so under these conditions, resolving humanitarian issues is both illogical and inconsistent with Azerbaijan’s aggressive stance,” Sahakyan said. She added that other international organizations could also visit Armenian prisoners, but only with Azerbaijan’s permission, which is something she considers equally unlikely.
“If there were genuine political will, cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which carries out this mission in the best possible way, would have continued. The absence of such an agreement suggests that no agreement will be reached with other organizations either,” the human rights defender stated.
Sahakyan also pointed out another direct path that Armenia could take, one that, according to her, is not being pursued. She emphasized that it is the sovereign right of the Republic of Armenia to visit its citizens who are detained abroad. “For reasons I don’t understand, this right is not being exercised, even though the Republic of Armenia has every legal basis to organize consular visits for its citizens. In situations where diplomatic relations are lacking, international norms and practice allow this right to be exercised indirectly through a third, neutral country,” Sahakyan explained. “Under the Vienna Conventions, Armenia has the guaranteed right to visit its detained citizens abroad without obstruction. The Armenians currently held in Baku are citizens of the Republic of Armenia.” She went on to explain how this could be implemented: Armenia could delegate this right to a neutral state, such as Switzerland, allowing a Swiss consular official to enter Baku on Armenia’s behalf to conduct a visit and provide consular assistance. “For instance, the Armenians illegally held in Baku may need legal aid or medical care. During the visit, the consular representative would check on their condition, whether they are alive, harmed, or in need of assistance. Exercising this right strengthens their protection and ensures they are not left in a vulnerable, forgotten, and defenseless state.”
When asked why the Armenian government is not exercising this right—whether it is political inaction or a diplomatic dead end—Siranush Sahakyan responded: “We could call it a diplomatic dead end if, for example, the Republic of Armenia had reached out to countries that have previously acted as intermediaries in tense situations between other states, and those countries had declined, causing the process to fail. In that case, Armenian authorities could have publicly stated that they did everything within their power, that they signaled concern for their citizens’ rights, but no third country agreed to take on the role, or one did, but Azerbaijan blocked the effort. However, we now have a situation where Armenia is not even appealing.”
The “International and Comparative Law Center,” alongside other public organizations, has appealed to Swiss authorities, who confirmed their readiness to play a role in this matter, clearly stating that the prerequisite for starting the process is an official request from the Republic of Armenia.
According to Sahakyan, they appealed to the Armenian Foreign Ministry three months ago and received a response that the issue is being discussed. “They’re still debating whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should abandon a citizen in complete isolation, in a country where there is a clear policy of discrimination and where an international ruling from the UN court has already been issued. And somehow, three months haven’t been enough to answer that question.”
In Azerbaijan, cases of torture, rights restrictions, and arbitrary detention are especially pronounced when it comes to Armenians. According to Sahakyan, the 23 Armenian hostages are now in complete isolation. “Even before, they were already largely isolated as no institutions aside from the Red Cross were allowed to visit, monitor their situation, or share public information. Independent lawyers were also denied access, and family visits have never taken place. So essentially, aside from the Red Cross, only Azerbaijani officials, who are biased and view rights protection through the lens of state control, had the ability to gather verifiable information through observation,” the human rights defender said.
According to Sahakyan, although the Red Cross had a limited mandate and refrained from publicly criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities, communicating recorded issues only through official channels, it still documented the objective reality on the ground.
“These individuals could be subjected to torture, which could lead to serious consequences, and such cases have already been recorded,” said Siranush Sahakyan. “Let's not forget that we have at least 80 forcibly disappeared prisoners, and it’s entirely possible that these disappearances are the result of severe torture with fatal or uncontrollable outcomes.” Furthermore, Sahakyan noted that Azerbaijan has been able to successfully conceal its crimes against these individuals, as the lack of access makes it impossible to identify the victims or locate the sites where torture has taken place.
Sahakyan noted that 10 days ago, the Azerbaijani Committee Against Torture visited the Armenian prisoners. The committee issued a statement saying they had conducted the visit, spoken with the detainees, and observed their conditions, essentially suggesting that, even though the Red Cross is no longer visiting, monitoring is still taking place, and the same issues are being addressed by another body. “In other words, when we say there is no mechanism for independent monitoring, they try to create the illusion that such a mechanism exists and has already carried out a visit, conveniently leaving out the fact that any organization fulfilling this mandate must be independent,” the human rights defender said. “And in Azerbaijan, there are no independent institutions, especially when it comes to preventing torture. If such a body did exist, Azerbaijan would not have a record of systematic torture, even against its own citizens.”