Azerbaijani media outlets have published photographs of Armenian prisoners held in Baku, stating that Azerbaijan's Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva visited them and reported that the captives are satisfied with the conditions of their detention. Only the photo of Ruben Vardanyan was taken outside, where the businessman appears emaciated. According to Siranush Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law, the published text and photographs are clearly contradictory.
"As for Azerbaijan's Ombudsman, her assessments cannot be impartial. She does not have 'A' status, which means she does not comply with the Paris Principles. As an ombudsman, she lacks functional independence and is dependent on the executive branch, so the reports presented by her cannot be considered credible," emphasized Sahakyan, explaining, "Under the auspices of the UN, there is a global alliance of national human rights institutions that promotes the implementation of the Paris Principles, which define the standards for the independence and functioning of national human rights institutions. 'A' status indicates full compliance with the Paris Principles, while 'B' status reflects partial satisfaction and functional dependence. Those with 'A' status can work with various UN human rights mechanisms, and their reports are considered credible. Reports from those with 'B' status (like Azerbaijan's Ombudsman) are not considered credible."
Moreover, the published studies show that Azerbaijan's Ombudsman has close ties to the Aliyev political elite, and there is also an issue of political entanglement. She is the daughter of the well-known Azerbaijani figure Yasha Aliyev, and her husband is a member of the National Assembly and an active political figure. The Ombudsman has received several awards from Ilham Aliyev, including for cooperation in the military sector. "Therefore, only the assessments of human rights and independent international experts, whom Azerbaijan does not allow to visit our prisoners, can be considered credible," said the human rights defender.
On March 5, the show trial of Ruben Vardanyan took place, and the day before, Azerbaijani media outlets published testimonies from the former military-political leadership of Artsakh, including Arayik Harutyunyan and Lyova Mnatsakanyan. News.am inquired about what new records could be made.
"It is noteworthy that we only have photos from Azerbaijan's state-run 'AzerTAj' news agency, which are circulated by all other media outlets. This time, no video has been published, probably to avoid showing the condition of Ruben Vardanyan after his 15-day hunger strike. Vardanyan's case is unique, and his health and life are clearly at risk. Despite his condition, he refuses to testify. Even after reviewing the 'charges' being published, there is no point in testifying. As for our other political prisoners, we do not know whether they have said things that the Azerbaijani media will choose to broadcast. Only one state-run media outlet attends the sessions, and their words are edited," responded Sahakyan.
Speaking about Vardanyan's worsening health condition, Sahakyan said that she would very much like to convince him to stop his hunger strike: "At this point, that is the most important thing. We must also do everything possible, and even the impossible, to ensure that some urgent international humanitarian mechanism is applied. The issue is becoming strictly humanitarian in nature."