HRC 57: Item 3։ ID with WG on arbitrary detention

17 September, 2024

Delivered by Mrs. Elen Harutyunyan, Counsellor

President,

Armenia would like to once again draw the attention of the Working Group to the plight of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian detainees in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan acknowledges that it holds in captivity 23 Armenians in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Some of them are behind the bars for almost four years in violation of International Humanitarian Law. Azerbaijan’s failure to provide any “factual or legal reasons for continued detention of PoWs after the cessation of hostilities” has been recognized also by the UN Special Procedure Mandate Holders.

Among those arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan are humanitarian workers who tried to deliver aid to the civilian population. There is an older person who tried to get medical help outside of Nagorno-Karabakh during the nine months long inhumane blockade imposed by Azerbaijan. There is the very political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh with whom Azerbaijan was negotiating the peace.

In their recent concluding observations both the UN CERD and CAT expressed grave concern with regard to the torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of the PoWs in Azerbaijan.

Hence, we would like to ask the Working Group to keep this issue under its consideration.

I thank you.

MFA RA
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