On August 21, 2025, the Executive Director of the “Society for Threatened Peoples” of Germany Sarah Reinke, the President of the non-profit working group “Against Genocide for Recognition” Dr. Tessa Hofmann, the President of the “Central Council of Armenians in Germany” Jonathan Spangenberg, the Head of Public Relations of the “International Society for Human Rights (IGFM)” Valerio Küger, the President of “Christian Solidarity International” Dr. John Eibner, and the “St. Stephanus Foundation for Persecuted Christians” appealed to Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Johann Wadephul, expressing concerns about the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The co-authors of the appeal emphasize that genuine peace cannot be achieved without protecting the rights and ensuring the security of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. They urge the Government of Germany, in cooperation with the European Union and its member states, to take an active and principled role in the peace process and to assume responsibility in this regard.
They call on the German Minister of Foreign Affairs to demonstrate diplomatic resolve and take responsibility for the ongoing efforts concerning the return of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages—using every available opportunity, in particular by taking steps to prevent systematic abuses against prisoners, including beatings, mock executions, and psychological violence. The authors of the appeal stressed that Azerbaijan’s destruction of the religious, cultural, and historical heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh must be stopped immediately.
German human rights experts also addressed the issue of classifying violence committed against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the systematic expulsion of displaced persons, the prevention of their safe return, the psychological violence exercised against the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the targeted abduction of individuals as genocide. They pointed to the assertion of international law experts that the decision of the Armenian people to leave the country was conditioned by the Azerbaijani offensive and nine months of deprivation, which demonstrates the severe harm caused by Azerbaijan’s official policy and practice to the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. These actions, they emphasized, fall under the definition of genocide in accordance with Article 2(b) of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
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The Human Rights Union of Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees welcomes this step by German human rights experts, considering it an important contribution to the realization of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. In this context, it is also important to emphasize that the officials’ position regarding the protection of the rights of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, as well as their return to their homeland, is resolute and clear.
We call on the international community and international organizations to take a firm stance and remain consistent toward Azerbaijan’s policy against the Armenians of Artsakh, ensuring that they are not deprived of the full realization of their rights.
Human Rights Union of Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees
