Law 15:17 28/06/2021 Armenia

Armenia’s rep. before ECHR warns against public discussions on illegal prosecution of POWs in Azerbaijan

Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Armenia’s representative before the ECHR, on Monday issued a statement urging Armenians to refrain from public discussions on the issue of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) illegally prosecuted in Azerbaijan on trumped-up charges, taking into account the sensitivity of the matter. The full text of the statement is provided below.

"According to information obtained from open public sources within the framework of interstate legal proceedings initiated by the Armenian government in the European Court of Human Rights, the Azerbaijani authorities are currently carrying out illegal criminal prosecution against Armenian nationals who were taken prisoner as a result of the war unleashed on September 27, 2020 and to date they are being held in Azerbaijan in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

The government of Armenia has repeatedly stated and reaffirms its position that the persons held in Azerbaijan are prisoners of war and abducted civilians and are under the protection of the Geneva Convention of 1949. Any criminal case initiated against Armenian prisoners is devoid of a legal basis and clearly contradicts the norms of international law.

Moreover, the whole process of criminal prosecution by the Azerbaijani authorities against Armenian POWs and civilian captives on the basis of fabricated charges is accompanied by gross violations of the guarantees of the fundamental right to a fair trial.

In particular, persons prosecuted under both international human rights law and international humanitarian law should enjoy a minimum set of guarantees, including the presumption of innocence, the right to information about the charges brought (ground, nature), which must be provided in a timely manner and in an understandable language, the right to sufficient time and opportunities for defense, the right to self-defense or defense with the assistance of a lawyer provided, the right to use the assistance of an interpreter free of charge, etc. These mandatory legal guarantees are violated by the Azerbaijani authorities, which has been repeatedly confirmed by a number of international organizations, including the ECHR.

Taking into account the abovementioned, the Office of Armenia’s Representative before the ECHR has repeatedly appealed to the ECHR with demands to end criminal prosecution against these persons, to release them or to guarantee their rights otherwise. However, given that the only urgent remedy under the ECHR’s legal mechanisms is the possibility of applying an interim measure under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, which is unfortunately very limited and applies mainly in the event of an irreversible risk of a breach of the right to life or non-torture, the ECHR refrains from interfering with the criminal prosecution of these individuals.

The Office of the Armenian Representative before the ECHR, together with the competent authorities and other interested persons, continues professional discussions on the possibility of using other international legal mechanisms and effective tools to obtain information on the illegal criminal prosecution of captured Armenians in order to somehow intervene with them or to prevent them.

Considering that the ongoing international legal processes are complex and multi-layered, as well as the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities are trying to use any opportunity to “legitimize” the fake criminal charges brought by them, the Office of Armenia’s Representative before the ECHR expresses its readiness to cooperate with all interested lawyers, advocates, the Chamber of Advocates or other individuals and/or human rights organizations and urges them to discuss and agree on all measures with the representation of Armenia before the ECHR before taking action.

At the same time, given the sensitivity and extreme importance of the matter, we urge you to refrain from unnecessary manipulations and public discussions on the issue.”



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:00
Artur Vanetsyan to be a guest on Imnemnimi podcast on December 25
Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the Homeland Party and the former director of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), will be a guest on...
16:46
Dry weather expected on Monday
Dry weather is expected in Armenia's regions on Monday and later this week. Light snow is forecast for some parts of the country...
16:24
Hayakve condemns government's indifference towards Syrian Armenians
The Hayakve initiative has expressed concern about the fate of Syrian Armenians following the change of government in Syria. “We...
15:34
Politician slams Pashinyan's Artsakh claims as 'a blatant lie'
Opposition politician Eduard Sharmazanov, a senior member of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), has lambasted Armenian Prime...
14:33
Bashar al-Assad's wife reportedly files for divorce
The British wife of Syria’s deposed president Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, has filed for divorce after expressing dissatisfaction with...
14:07
Opposition MP: Armenian leaders focused on justifying themselves amid Azerbaijan's military buildup
The intensive mutual visits of Azerbaijani and Turkish military officials are largely part of a plan to reform Azerbaijan’s armed forces,...
13:30
Trump pledges to stop 'transgender lunacy'
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to "stop the transgender lunacy" on day one of his presidency, AFP reported....
13:08
Yerevan mayor addresses criticism over expensive US trip
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan has addressed criticism over his expensive flight tickets for a trip to the U.S. in November. The...
12:34
Famous ophthalmologist Alexander Malayan dies at 76
Renowned ophthalmologist Alexander Malayan has passed away at the age of 76, YSMU Rector Armen Muradyan broke the news on Facebook on...
12:15
Boy injured as drones fall from sky at Florida holiday show
A holiday drone show in Florida was forced to cancel its second performance due to an injury this weekend. Andrea Otero, the City of Orlando...
12:06
Armenia ballet artists perform 'The Nutcracker' in Italy
Ballet artists from the Yerevan Opera Theater have started a concert tour to Italy to perform their adaptation of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's...
11:35
Pashinyan admits 'a big mistake' over Karabakh negotiation process
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claims the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process completely focused on its return to Azerbaijan since the...
11:15
Drivers warned about icy roads in Armenia's Syunik
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about road closure in Armenia on Monday morning. In particular, the road linking the Amberd high...
11:00
Putin meets Slovak PM in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin held surprise talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Kremlin on Sunday to discuss the future of...
17:30
Expert blasts My Step Foundation's 'unacceptable' response to Panorama.am
Shushan Doydoyan, President of the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia (FOICA), has denounced the My Step Charitable Foundation’s...
16:30
US avoids government shutdown with last-minute funding bill
The US Senate has voted to pass a budget deal to avert what would be the first federal government shutdown since 2019, only hours after the...
16:01
Barack Obama's top 10 movies of 2024 includes ‘Anora' starring Armenian actors
Barack Obama has shared his favorite movies of the year, continuing what has become an annual list-making tradition from the former...
15:36
None of Baku's demands meets strong opposition from Pashinyan's government, MP says
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government does not strongly oppose any of the demands listed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for a...
15:00
WhatsApp wins legal case against Pegasus spyware maker
WhatsApp has prevailed against Israeli spyware maker NSO Group in a US lawsuit over NSO’s abuse of the messaging app to enable the...
14:34
Armenian woman named Female Business Leader of the Year
Amalya Yeghoyan, Executive Director of the Gyumri Information Technologies Center (GITC), has been named the Female Business Leader of the...
14:01
Saturday is the winter solstice and 2024's shortest day
The 2024 winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, happens on Saturday, Dec. 21, in the Northern Hemisphere. The celestial event signifies...
13:36
Light snow expected in parts of Armenia
Dry weather is expected in Armenia’s regions on Saturday, Monday and later next week. Light snow is forecast for some parts of the...
13:06
'A new level of cynicism': UJA slams My Step Foundation's response to Panorama.am
The Union of Journalists of Armenia (UJA) on Friday issued a statement denouncing the My Step Foundation’s inappropriate response to...
12:30
Turkish FM calls for fair approach in promoting Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Ankara on Friday. They discussed, among other...
12:05
Ruben Vardanyan held in 'complete isolation' in Baku prison, his son says
David Vardanyan, the son of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, has revealed that his father is being held in “complete...
11:31
Pashinyan extends birthday greetings to Macron
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to French President Emmanuel Macron on his birthday. Below...
11:17
Armenian church commemorates St Abgar
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Saturday commemorates St Apkar (Abgar), a martyr of the church and our first Christian King....
11:05
Magnitude 4.5 earthquake hits Artsakh, felt in Armenia
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) last night. The quake occurred 30 km south of the town of Karvachar (Kelbajar)...
17:06
Armenia-Azerbaijan peace efforts remain 'an area of vital importance' to Biden administration – State Dept.
The Biden administration will continue working on the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations until the last day in office, State...
16:39
Artur Vanetsyan issues message on National Security Officer's Day
Major-General Artur Vanetsyan, the former director of Armenia's National Security Service, issued a congratulatory message on the National...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}