Siranush Sahakyan, director of the International and Comparative Law Center, and Veronika Zonabend, wife of Ruben Vardanyan, met on August 17 with representatives of the Department of Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Interdepartmental Commission on POWs, Hostages, and Missing Persons, and the Office of the Human Rights Defender. During the meeting, a number of humanitarian issues concerning Armenian prisoners held in Baku were raised, including their detention conditions, physical state, the need for medical supervision, options for sending parcels and letters, and establishing contact with their families.
"We also conveyed information received from the prisoners' families regarding their detention conditions and noted that we expect the Armenian side's support and active efforts in ensuring that the prisoners' conditions comply with international standards. The representatives of the MFA and the Interdepartmental Commission assured us that these humanitarian issues are at the center of their attention and that work is being carried out in this direction," Siranush Sahakyan told News.am.
According to her, the meeting also addressed Veronika Zonabend's initiative to visit Baku as part of an international women's humanitarian mission. "Veronika Zonabend proposed that the government appoint a designated official by the end of August—not only for matters related to the humanitarian mission, but also for continuous communication across the entire scope of humanitarian issues. Government representatives promised to discuss the points raised, respond to them, and provide the contact details of the designated person as soon as they are clarified," Sahakyan noted.
The meeting followed letters sent by Veronika Zonabend to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on July 8 and July 31 of this year.