Von der Leyen said Armenian detainees issue discussed at ‘highest political level’ in letter to MEPs

By Lusine Vardanyan, CivilNet correspondent in Brussels

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assured a group of European Parliament lawmakers last November that the issue of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan is being addressed at the “highest political level,” according to correspondence obtained by CivilNet months after it was exchanged.

In a Nov. 17, 2025, reply to 18 Members of the European Parliament, von der Leyen said the EU has “closely followed the detention and trials of Karabakh Armenians in Azerbaijan” and continues to call on Baku “to respect due process and to ensure that allegations of war crimes and other misconduct are investigated in a transparent manner.”

She added that “all displaced people, regardless of their origin, have the right to return to their homes without intimidation and discrimination.”

The letter was sent in response to an Oct. 13 appeal by 18 MEPs who expressed “profound concern regarding the continued unlawful detention of Armenian hostages in Baku.” Their “ongoing imprisonment, sham trials, and reported maltreatment,” they wrote, constitute “grave violations of human dignity” and stand “in stark contradiction to Azerbaijan’s stated commitments to peace and to international norms.”

The correspondence, which has not been previously reported, was made available to CivilNet by sources who requested anonymity.

The lawmakers urged von der Leyen to “raise this matter at the highest political level,” stressing that humanitarian issues, including “the immediate release of all Armenian hostages,” must be addressed if a “lasting and credible peace” between Armenia and Azerbaijan is to be achieved.

They also noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross — “the only international body with access to Armenian prisoners and hostages held in Baku” — was compelled to close its office in Azerbaijan on Sept. 3 at the government’s request. “Following this withdrawal, credible reports indicate that two Armenian hostages attempted suicide, with one currently on hunger strike,” the MEPs wrote.

At the time of the letter, 23 Armenians were reported to be held in Azerbaijani prisons. In her response, von der Leyen said the EU “continues to urge for the release and repatriation of all conflict related detainees, including those from Karabakh, as a confidence-building measure,” while also commending both sides for initialing a bilateral peace treaty in Washington on Aug. 8, 2025.

She emphasized that “the rule of law and human rights remain at the core of the EU-Azerbaijan relations,” as enshrined in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

The exchange took place before a Jan. 14, 2026 prisoner swap in which Azerbaijan returned four Armenians in return for two Syrian mercenaries who had fought on the Azerbaijani side in the 2020 Karabakh war.

Following that exchange, 19 Armenians are officially confirmed to remain in Azerbaijani custody.

Among them are former political and military leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh captured after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive. Earlier this month, five former leaders — Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Manukyan and David Babayan — were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Baku, while former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20-year terms.

Former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan is being tried separately and has not yet received a verdict. He delivered his final statement in court this month, describing the proceedings as failing to meet basic standards of a fair trial.