The Member of the RA NA delegation to PACE gave an online speech at PACE Plenary Session. The MP particularly noted:

“Honorable Chair,

Distinguished members of parliament,

We are used to hearing nice speeches about human rights, about human dignity, about the value of human life. But in the 22nd year of the 21st century we are still in a situation that urges us to have a discussion on the issue of enforced disappearance of people.

As regards to the speech of my Azerbaijani colleague, I have to mention that he comfortably forgets about Sumgayit, Baku, Kirovabad and Maragha massacres. However!

More than a year has passed after the second Nagorno Karabakh War. And despite the fact that the 8th point of the Trilateral Statement signed on 9th of November 2020 by the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia clearly envisages an  exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, several dozens of Armenian servicemen and civilians are still held captives in Azerbaijan. The number of Armenian POWs and other captives remains unclear.

The Azerbaijani authorities do not publish the exact number of captives without any legal grounds and in gross violation of human rights requirements under the Geneva Convention.

During the past year 142 POWs and captives have repatriated to Armenia. However, 46 confirmed POWs and captives are still kept under the Azerbaijani custody.

During the last months Azerbaijan has repeatedly abused legal procedures, falsified the requirements of international law, and prosecuted Armenian POWs using deprivation of liberty as punishment.

Labeling Armenian servicemen and civilians as “terrorists” is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in general.

We emphasize once again that, regardless of the date of captivity, all the Armenian servicemen and civilians held in Azerbaijan are prisoners of war by their current status and should be treated as such.

Nevertheless, as my colleague, Ms Ghazaryan already mentioned in her speech, and as it is mentioned in the resolution adopted by the PACE last autumn on the Humanitarian Consequences of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, several dozens of individuals are held captive in Azerbaijan, without any confirmation by the Azerbaijani side, and while speaking about enforced disappearance, we just simply can’t bypass this evident reality.

Applications to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) related to these cases of enforced disappearance have been filed and interim measures under the Rule 39 have been applied by the Court against Azerbaijan. However, so far Azerbaijan has not implemented these decisions of the ECHR. From this point of view, it is my belief that the Committee of Minister’s should raise their voice.

Thank you.”