European Parliament urges Azerbaijan to release political prisoners, including Armenians

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday urging Azerbaijan to release those detained on politically motivated grounds, including the 19 Armenian prisoners held in Baku.

The resolution, supported by 492 lawmakers, addressed a broader crackdown on government critics and dissidents in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. It also called for targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations and said any future EU-Azerbaijan partnership agreement should be conditional on tangible progress in human rights and the rule of law.

“The European Parliament calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to end reprisals against peaceful critics, journalists, human rights activists, opposition leaders and academics, release all political prisoners and drop criminal charges against them; urges an end to the misuse of criminal and national security laws to silence non-governmental organisations and media, and urges respect for judicial independence,” the resolution said.

It focused in particular on the detentions of Azerbaijani opposition figure Ali Karimli, human rights defender Anar Mammadli and activist Anar Abdullayev. It also cited criticism of detention conditions by international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

“These cases form part of a broader pattern of repression against opposition figures, journalists, human rights defenders, activists and academics, with over 300 political prisoners, including Armenian prisoners,” the resolution said.

At least 19 Armenian prisoners are currently held in Baku. They include several former senior officials of the former Nagorno-Karabakh republic, prisoners of war captured during the 2020 war, and civilians. Some are serving lengthy prison terms in Azerbaijan, while others have been sentenced to life imprisonment.