PanARMENIAN.Net - Siranush Sahakyan, legal representative of Armenian POWs and hostages at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), stated that families of detainees in Azerbaijan have had no direct contact since June, when Red Cross visits were halted.
"Relatives have been cut off from direct information since June. Despite the Red Cross resuming some activities in September, visits remain blocked," she said, as reported by Panorama.am .
Sahakyan added that through the ECHR, they received partial documentation about the prisoners' health and detention conditions. However, she stressed the data is neither complete nor reliable, as it is based solely on Azerbaijani submissions.
The court had initially set November as the deadline for Azerbaijan to provide updates. Baku requested a postponement to finalize and translate the documents. The new expected deadline is January.
Sahakyan warned that the reports contain serious inaccuracies and distortions, raising doubts about their credibility.
"At present, there is no reliable channel for verified information. The Armenian hostages are in absolute isolation," she said.
One possible option to break the isolation, she noted, would be consular visits, including through third-party mediation. Months ago, Armenia approached Switzerland, which expressed readiness to carry out a humanitarian mission, contingent on a formal request from the Armenian authorities.
"Unfortunately, this opportunity is not being utilized in favor of our hostages," she said.
This, despite about 20 civil society groups having petitioned the Foreign Ministry to involve a neutral third country like Switzerland.
Regarding a failed recent visit by Armenian civic figures to Baku to meet POWs, Sahakyan emphasized that only official state backing could make such visits feasible.
"This could have been seen as a goodwill gesture by Baku. Civil society groups cannot organize visits abroad. Only the state has that legal authority, as international law grants states the right to provide consular access to citizens detained abroad," she explained, citing the Vienna Conventions.
She concluded that Baku likely prioritized political interests over a potential reputational gain.
Source: PanArmenian.Net
