Armenian NGOs urge EU leadership to push for release of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan

A group of 22 Armenian non-governmental organizations on Thursday published an open letter urging European Union leaders to take steps toward securing the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.

The appeal, addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, calls on them “to take steps to ensure that the Armenian prisoners are released and reunited with their families as soon as possible,” adding that the European Union could help “resolve this pressing humanitarian issue and put an end to the suffering of many Armenian families.”

The signatories include Transparency International Armenia, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor, and Regional Center for Democracy and Security.

Both von der Leyen and Costa are expected to meet Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan next week. However, speaking after a government meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan said Yerevan will not raise the issue of detainees with its European partners and will instead continue addressing it through direct negotiations with Azerbaijan.

He said Armenia considers bilateral talks with Baku the most effective approach, noting that other formats have produced limited results in the past.

At least 19 Armenian detainees are currently held in Baku. They include eight former political and military leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, captured during Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive that resulted in the displacement of the region’s entire Armenian population.

Also read: Nagorno-Karabakh leaders sentenced in Azerbaijan 

Earlier in February, three of those figures were sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges including financing terrorism and separatism, while the remaining defendants received life sentences.

In January, Armenia secured the release of four civilian captives who had been held in prison since the 2020 war, in exchange for releasing two Syrian mercenaries who had fought on Azerbaijan’s side during the conflict.