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The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office has refused to say whether criminal probes have been launched into the arrests of Artsakh’s current and former leaders by Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani authorities have arrested and charged Artsakh’s three former presidents Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, presidential advisor David Babayan, parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan, as well as a former Artsakh army commander and his deputy.

Panorama.am submitted an inquiry to the Prosecutor General’s Office to find out whether criminal proceedings have been initiated over their arrests and under which articles of Armenia’s Criminal Code.

“The Prosecutor General’s Office does not comment on it at the moment,” the law enforcement agency replied.

Separately, it said a criminal investigation had been launched into two Armenian civilians’ abduction by Azeri forces, without elaborating further.

The Prosecutor's Office also noted that they stayed focused on the protection of people’s rights.

"In this regard, the Prosecutor General's Office uses all legal tools in order to protect and restore the rights of persons," the agency said.