Washington, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) strongly condemns today’s verdicts issued by Azerbaijan’s Baku Military Court sentencing multiple Armenian political prisoners and former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) officials to life imprisonment and lengthy prison terms following proceedings widely criticized by human rights advocates as fundamentally unjust.
According to reports from multiple international and regional sources, the court sentenced five Armenian hostages to life imprisonment, including former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Artsakh Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, David Manukyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, and David Babayan. Two additional former Artsakh presidents, Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, were sentenced to 20 years in prison, reportedly due to age-based restrictions under Azerbaijani law. Other Armenian hostages received sentences ranging from 15 to 19 years.
These verdicts follow trials that began in January 2025 and concern Armenian detainees captured after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military assault on Artsakh, which culminated in the forced displacement of more than 120,000 Armenians from their ancestral homeland. Human rights organizations and international observers have repeatedly raised alarms regarding lack of due process, politically motivated charges, restricted access to independent monitoring, and the broader use of detainees as leverage in negotiations.
The Assembly reiterates that these individuals are unlawfully detained and that the proceedings constitute sham trials designed to legitimize collective punishment and obscure Azerbaijan’s own violations of international humanitarian law.
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“These verdicts underscore a fundamental truth: there can be no genuine peace while Armenian hostages remain unjustly imprisoned in Baku,” said Armenian Assembly Co-Chairs Oscar Tatosian and Talin Yacoubian. “Sentencing Armenian political prisoners to life in prison while claiming progress toward peace is a contradiction that the international community must not ignore.”
Today’s rulings come amid heightened diplomatic engagement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including recent meetings between the two governments and continued U.S. involvement aimed at advancing a peace framework, including Vice President JD Vance’s upcoming regional visit to the Republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
They also follow public remarks by President Donald J. Trump, who, during a recent Oval Office meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stated that he would personally raise the release of the Armenian hostages with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, noting the continued detention of 23 Armenian prisoners, including former Artsakh leaders.
The Assembly further notes that members of the U.S. Congress have increasingly expressed concern over Azerbaijan’s conduct. In recent months, bipartisan lawmakers have called on the Administration to demand the release of Armenian prisoners, allow international monitoring of trials, and consider accountability measures — including sanctions — against Azerbaijani officials responsible for gross human rights abuses.
The Armenian Assembly of America urges the United States and its international partners to demand the immediate release of all Armenian political prisoners and hostages held in Azerbaijan, reject the legitimacy of verdicts issued through politically motivated and non-transparent proceedings, ensure that any peace agreement is conditioned on accountability, human rights protections, and enforceable security guarantees, and affirm and protect the fundamental right of return for displaced Artsakh Armenians.
“Peace built on coercion, impunity, and hostage diplomacy is neither durable nor just,” the Co-Chairs added. “True reconciliation requires the release of prisoners, respect for human dignity, and accountability for grave violations — not life sentences imposed through sham trials behind closed doors.”
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a strictly non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
