Siranush Sahakyan, human rights defender and representative of the interests of Armenian prisoners of war in international organizations, answered News.am's questions about the release of several prisoners in exchange for Armenia's participation in COP29, Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners, and the denial of permission for Ruben Vardanyan's lawyer to travel to Baku.
According to the human rights defender, the unsuccessful course of negotiations was the reason why the Armenian delegation abstained from participating in COP29.
"According to my observations, there were discussions and negotiations, and the Armenian side could legitimately ensure its presence in exchange for the release of a certain number of prisoners, also taking into account international calls and pressures, but since the Azerbaijani side has not undertaken to release even a limited number of prisoners, Armenia has refrained from coming."
Addressing the question of when the trials of the military-political leadership of Artsakh may begin, taking into account the fact that since the summer the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan has been announcing that the preliminary investigation has been completed and the cases have been sent to court, Siranush Sahakyan said that according to various forecasts, the trials may begin in the winter or early spring of 2025.
"As for the international presence in fake, staged trials, I mentioned in one of my interviews that the state, according to a number of international documents, has the opportunity to provide access to consular service for its citizens imprisoned in another country, including achieving international presence during the trial," said Siranush Sahakyan.