UK lawmakers urge government to press for release of Armenian prisoners in Baku

By Alexander Pracht

A group of British Members of Parliament has condemned the continued detention and trials of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan, urging the UK government to pressure Baku for their release.

In a letter published on Tuesday by Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East in Wales and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Armenia, the lawmakers expressed concern over the prisoners' treatment, citing reports of forced confessions and fabricated charges. The letter was co-signed by APPG vice-chairmen John Whittingdale and Chris Law of the House of Commons, as well as Baron Mark McInnes from the House of Lords.

“The prisoners, who are democratically elected Arstakh officials and civilians, were arrested after the Azerbaijani offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh which resulted in the forced displacement of up to 120,000 Armenians,” the group’s letter said.

The lawmakers highlighted the lack of independent legal access, alleged mistreatment, and the barring of international organizations from monitoring the trials. They also condemned Azerbaijan’s recent crackdown on media and international agencies, including the suspension of BBC News in Azerbaijani and Voice of America.

“Family members in the UK tell us that the prisoners are almost completely isolated with occasional contact with their families. We are also particularly concerned for the health of one of the prisoners, Ruben Vardanyan, who until recently had been on hunger strike for almost a month,” said the letter.

The MPs called on the British government to press Azerbaijan to allow diplomatic visits to the detainees, reinstate access for the International Committee of the Red Cross, expelled from the country last month, and ultimately secure the prisoners’ release as a step toward peace in the South Caucasus.