“ACNIS ReView from Yerevan”. Mass media widely covered the 2026 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, held on February 4 in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. During the ceremony, world leaders emphasized dialogue, compromise, and practical peace, and the landmark peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan received special recognition. The leaders of both countries attended the event and were awarded the prize in acknowledgment of their consistent efforts to promote peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, foster cooperation, and ensure regional stability. It is worth recalling that on August 8 of last year, in Washington, D.C., Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, through the mediation of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, initialed an agreement affirming the preservation and strengthening of peace, an agreement intended to usher in a new era of stability in the South Caucasus.
Addressing the theme of peace during the award ceremony, the Armenian laureate stated in his speech that the nearly 40-year conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is now closed. Such a declaration, beyond being controversial, is also potentially dangerous, as it may internationally undermine the rights of our compatriots to return to Artsakh and reclaim their thousand-year-old homeland. While it may be argued that a chapter of conflict has ended, the core issue at the heart of that conflict—the legitimate demand for Artsakh’s self-determination—remains unresolved. True peace is established not by symbolic gestures, but by concrete realities.
However, these optimistic assertions are contradicted by the facts on the ground, which do not inspire confidence in lasting peace. Baku continues to present demands to Yerevan, including amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the removal from its preamble of references to the Declaration of Independence, the promotion of the so-called false narrative of “Western Azerbaijan,” and the return of Azerbaijani refugees to Armenia, among others. Moreover, approximately 240 square kilometers of Armenia’s sovereign territory remain under Azerbaijani occupation. Armenian prisoners unlawfully held in Baku for years, including former military and political leaders of Artsakh who have been taken hostage, have not been released; instead, they are facing life imprisonment.
Particularly striking is the fact that the sham trial ongoing in Baku concluded on February 5, the day after the humanitarian event in Abu Dhabi, with politically predetermined verdicts. Five former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh were sentenced to life imprisonment, while two others received 20-year prison terms at the end of a yearlong trial condemned by Armenian human rights advocates as a travesty of justice. Ilham Aliyev, who received the same Human Fraternity award as Nikol Pashinyan and has appeared to cultivate a closer relationship with him, even at the level of their families, sentenced former leaders of Artsakh and senior military officials to life imprisonment just 24 hours after the award ceremony. This timing can hardly be regarded as coincidental.
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The so-called “trial” in Baku cannot be considered a legitimate administration of justice. Rather, it represents a classic example of political persecution and Armenophobia. According to experts, it violates several fundamental norms of international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, as well as internationally recognized standards concerning fair trials, the presumption of innocence, and the protection of prisoners of war.
The fabricated charges and predetermined sentences that, at Ilham Aliyev’s behest, have been brought against our compatriots are nothing more than a humiliation of the Armenian people’s national identity and dignity, a political vendetta against individuals of Armenian descent, whom Baku’s ruler intensely despises. The timing of the verdicts to coincide with the event in Abu Dhabi was perhaps the price of the award received by Nikol. He could have refused the award, politely saying, “Excuse me, but I cannot accept this, as my compatriots are being unjustly held in Baku’s prisons.” But he chose the award instead—along with the additional one million dollars.
