"The human rights standards are very clear. If a person arrives at a closed facility without injuries and in proper condition, then any injuries they sustain are the responsibility of the state, and the state must explain the mechanism behind their occurrence," said Siranush Sahakyan, the head of the Center for International and Comparative Law, in an interview with CivilNet's Arshaluys Mghdesyan. She added that, in the opposite case, there is a presumption of torture. "And we saw that Mr. Ruben Vardanyan, who had visible, significant injuries to his head, appeared in the courtroom, yet the court, which is supposed to ensure justice, took no measures to properly investigate these circumstances. This indicates that Azerbaijan is demonstrating a show of force even when it comes to torture, and we are dealing with a public process of humiliating Armenians."
Speaking about the international component, Sahakyan emphasized that Azerbaijan also has an uncooperative stance toward international bodies dealing with torture: "In 2024, there was a public statement that Azerbaijan had not allowed the visit of the Committee on the Prevention of Torture to Azerbaijan. Furthermore, no positive steps had been taken regarding the implementation of its recommendations. Azerbaijan constantly threatens international organizations, warning them that it will ban their activities in Azerbaijan, using this as leverage to disrupt their independent work."
There are reports circulating that processes are underway in Azerbaijan to shut down the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Sahakyan, citing information received from international civil society organizations, confirms that such a process has begun.
"Azerbaijan has created a narrative that the conflict is resolved, the humanitarian issues related to the conflict have been addressed, and that Azerbaijan has the necessary human rights infrastructure, institutions, and missions to handle the situation on its own," said Sahakyan.
The closure of the ICRC in Azerbaijan could create an extremely dire situation for Armenian detainees: "The closure of the ICRC means that Azerbaijan is shutting down the only mechanism that, despite its limited capacity, could ensure the protection of Armenians' rights. This action is primarily directed against Armenians. If, at this moment, the ICRC is the only international mandate visiting Armenian detainees, after its closure, we will have no international involvement at all," said the human rights defender.
During the interview, Sahakyan stated that the Committee for the Prevention of Torture will visit Azerbaijan in 2025. While there is no set schedule, the visit is expected to take place in the coming months.
During the interview, Sahakyan also addressed Artak Zeynalyan’s statement, which had caused significant controversy. Zeynalyan had said, "The living conditions of the captives in Baku have significantly improved precisely through European mechanisms."
Sahakyan believes that this statement led to speculation, especially considering the timing։ "We were following the trials, we saw Ruben Vardanyan on the verge of fainting, we saw other detainees in a state of despair and exhaustion. In such a context, saying that conditions have improved was naturally not going to be well received by Armenian society. If we present the reality—Azerbaijan has still not ensured that the detention conditions of Armenian hostages comply with international standards. A key aspect of these standards is the right to communicate with the outside world. Not a single Armenian hostage has been given the opportunity to meet with their family members, and they have been deprived of access to their lawyers. The only external communication they had was through the ICRC, and even that was severely restricted. At times, the Armenian captives were subjected to such extreme psychological and physical pressure that they refused to use their right to brief phone calls, meaning they were deprived of exchanging a single word with their families for months."
Siranush Sahakyan considers the living conditions of Armenian captives to be "unprecedentedly" poor. They have been deprived of even basic hygiene, access to water, and food. "They were deliberately kept in cold rooms during the winter months—not only that, but they were also drenched with water to intensify their suffering from the cold. Naturally, all of this was accompanied by regular acts of violence. Special groups were assigned specifically to carry out punitive beatings. Under such circumstances, I do not believe there is any credible claim that Armenians are not subjected to torture or inhumane treatment in Azerbaijan."
These accounts have been documented with audio and video recordings, as well as written and signed testimonies. The evidence has been submitted to international organizations.