Siranush Sahakyan, director of the International and Comparative Law Center and the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights’ office in Armenia, also met with representatives of Montreal’s Armenian community during her visit to Canada and presented the international legal work concerning the forced displacement from Artsakh, the Armenian captives held in Baku, and the protection of their rights.
Presenting developments in the Artsakh conflict, Sahakyan noted that Azerbaijan’s restriction of opportunities to resolve the issue through political and legal means was followed by military operations. She addressed the 44-day war in 2020, the 2022 attack on Armenia’s sovereign territory, the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, and the forced displacement of the Armenians of Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s military operations on September 19, 2023.
During the meeting, Siranush Sahakyan addressed the trials of Armenian captives held in Baku, presenting the concerns surrounding them. She spoke about respect for guarantees of due process and a fair trial, opportunities to prepare a defense, access to a lawyer, and other issues. Sahakyan noted that the Azerbaijani authorities accuse the Armenian captives of serious crimes, while the “trials” have been accompanied by propaganda promoting hatred against Armenians.
According to Sahakyan, legal representation in the cases of Artsakh’s former military and political leaders has been recognized before the European Court of Human Rights. However, the Azerbaijani authorities have rejected applications for those representatives to participate in their defense at the domestic level, arguing that only lawyers licensed in Azerbaijan may represent them.
Sahakyan also presented issues concerning the detention conditions of Armenian captives to Montreal’s Armenian community, discussing problems related to visits by family members and consular access. She emphasized that the lack of independent and full access makes it difficult to assess detention conditions and ensure effective legal protection.
One of the central topics of the discussion was the international legal work being carried out to protect the rights of Armenian captives. Sahakyan emphasized the importance of using international legal mechanisms to obtain a legal assessment of documented violations and raise the issue of accountability. The cases she presented and the documentation work concern both the protection of the rights of Armenians held in Baku and the examination, before international bodies, of serious violations committed against Armenians during and after the war.
Such meetings with representatives of the Armenian community play an important role in raising awareness of the issue of Armenian captives, making information about international legal processes accessible to the community, and maintaining public attention on the issue. They also provide an opportunity to present the work being carried out to protect the captives’ rights and discuss the challenges that continue to hinder the full protection of those rights.
