Washington, D.C. – The unjust imprisonment of Armenian hostages continues. Earlier this month Azerbaijan’s Court of Appeals rejected the appeals filed by Armenian hostages, including former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) officials, seeking to overturn the unlawful and politically motivated verdicts handed down by the Baku Military Court, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
In February 2026, the Baku Military 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’ imprisonment, reportedly because of age-based sentencing restrictions under Azerbaijani law. Other Armenian hostages received prison terms ranging from 15 to 19 years.
An independent report, Justice Under Pressure: Independence of Lawyers and the Right to a Fair Trial in Azerbaijan, issued in May 2026 by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), exposes the structural and institutional flaws of the Aliyev regime’s justice system, with particular attention to the unlawful trials against the former Nagorno-Karabakh officials. These proceedings have been widely condemned as political show trials lacking any genuine legal basis. The Court of Appeals’ decision further confirms the failure of the judicial system in Azerbaijan and underscores the regime’s continued efforts to conceal its gross violations of international humanitarian law through state-orchestrated sham trials.
The Court’s decision ignores a key vote by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Committee adopted an amendment in July by a bipartisan 44-7 margin, calling on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian hostages.
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In August 2025, as part of the signing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement at the White House, President Trump told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that he would personally raise the release of Armenian hostages with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“The decision of Azerbaijan’s Court of Appeals demonstrates that the Aliyev regime intends to continue violating international norms and its assumed obligations, at the expense of Armenian hostages, for which the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a clear message to immediately and unconditionally release them,” said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan.
“These court decisions are a serious setback to genuine peace,” Khaloyan continued. “Global Magnitsky and other sanctions should be applied to the responsible Azerbaijani officials — as the United States and other countries have for egregious cases of human rights violations.”
The Assembly continues to urge the United States and its international partners to intensify diplomatic efforts and employ all available mechanisms to secure the release of all Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijan. Credible reports documenting physical abuse and the deteriorating health of Armenian prisoners underscore the urgent need for consistent and effective steps to save their lives and end the Aliyev regime’s blatant disregard for fundamental human rights.
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.
Armenian Assembly of America