Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan has called on Azerbaijan to stop the treatments that degrade people’s fundamental freedoms and human dignity and release all prisoners from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh immediately.
Marukyan made the comments after a court in Azerbaijan started a sham trial of Vagif Khachatryan, the elderly resident of Nagorno-Karabakh who was kidnapped by Azeri border guards during his ICRC-mediated medical evacuation.
In a statement on X, Marukyan said that all existing proceedings in Azerbaijan are a farce, a mockery of the European Convention and a violation of all universally accepted international norms in the context of all obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan itself.
“The trial of Vagif Khachatryan, abducted from Nagorno Karabakh, has started in Azerbaijan today. He, of course, has nothing to do with the crime, he is merely punished for being born in Nagorno Karabagh and for living on his ancestral land. I want to make this very clear, in Azerbaijan, where the government has not changed for more than 20 years, during which 5 presidents were elected in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Freedom House rated as partially free with 37 score by all indicators, and Azerbaijan – Not Free, with 9 scores, there cannot be a fair trial, fair court and/or fair accusation. All existing proceedings are a farce, a mockery of the European Convention and a violation of all universally accepted international norms in the context of all obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan must end the treatments that degrade people’s fundamental freedoms and human dignity and release all prisoners from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh immediately.
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P. S. In the video you can see a crying man in the fake court hearing,” Marukyan said on X.
The trial of Vagif Khachatryan, abducted from Nagorno Karabakh, has started in Azerbaijan today. He, of course, has nothing to do with the crime, he is merely punished for being born in Nagorno Karabagh and for living on his ancestral land.
— Edmon Marukyan (@edmarukyan) October 13, 2023
I want to make this very clear, in… pic.twitter.com/Y3fcjiZ4Jn
1/2 Sham "trial", show of complete disregard of any norms in Baku against #Armenia|n civilian, 68-year-old resident of #NagornoKarabakh who under @ICRC protection was being transported to🇦🇲 for heart surgery &was abducted at illegal checkpoint weeks before ethnic cleansing in NK. pic.twitter.com/2RmqdqkXg5
— Ani Badalyan, Spokesperson of MFA of Armenia (@ArmSpoxMFA) October 13, 2023
