The Lemkin Institute expressed concern that the Azerbaijani regime may retaliate against Armenian prisoners

The Lemkin Genocide Prevention Institute condemns the continuous and illegal imprisonment of Armenian officials and civilians of the Republic of Artsakh by the Republic of Azerbaijan and expresses concern about the threat to the lives of former high-ranking officials of Artsakh held there, reports Aysor.am.

The institute notes that given the high risk of serious human rights abuses against these individuals, including threats to their lives, the need for a strong international presence has never been more urgent.

Therefore, the Lemkin Institute calls on the international community to take necessary steps to ensure the quick and safe repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war, officials and civilians held hostage in Azerbaijan.

The institute recalls its "Statement on the continued imprisonment of Armenian officials of the Republic of Artsakh by the Republic of Azerbaijan" dated October 27, 2023, detailing the arrest and prosecution of eight high-ranking officials, namely: former Minister of State of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan, former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, former First Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces Davit Manukyan, former Artsakh Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former Commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces Levon Mnatsakanyan and the last chairman of the Artsakh National Assembly Davit Ishkhanyan. These arrests took place on September 19, 2023 during Azerbaijan's military aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh region and the subsequent genocide against the civilian population.

Many of these officials were arrested in April 2023 at the Hakari Bridge checkpoint illegally built by Azerbaijan in the Lachin Corridor. The institute reminds that the creation of this checkpoint took place four months after the illegal blockade of the same corridor by Azerbaijan on December 12, 2022. This situation led to the deprivation of essential goods and services for the then 120,000 residents of Artsakh, which is a clear case of genocide by attrition, as former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has stated. The report issued by the institute states that although the suffering of all Armenians detained by the dictatorial regime of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is deeply worrying, they are particularly concerned about the condition of Ruben Vardanyan.

"Former minister of state of Artsakh, businessman and philanthropist Vardanyan is particularly hated in Azerbaijan because of his open and unwavering support for Artsakh's right to self-determination," the statement reads. The Lemkin Institute reminds that in its statement of September 28 last year, it stated that Ruben Vardanyan's four-month "preventive detention" will be followed by a number of fabricated accusations. In this context, the Lemkin Institute addresses the death on February 16, 2024 of Alexei Navalny, one of the internal opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny has been imprisoned since January 2021, after returning to Russia. The Lemkin Institute expresses its concern that President Aliyev's regime may take similar actions against Vardanyan or other former high-ranking officials of Artsakh, taking into account their symbolic and historical significance in the independence of Artsakh. The Institute again called on the international community to convince President Aliyev's administration to immediately release all Armenian civilians and prisoners of war.