Baku Trials: Davit Babayan Testifies About These Sham Trials (LIBERTAS)
- May 14
- 1 min read
Davit Babayan issued a statement* from his prison cell in Baku, published on May 14, denouncing serious violations of his fundamental rights as well as those of other Armenian prisoners held in Baku.
The former Foreign Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh asserts that the proceedings against them do not comply with international standards or the fundamental guarantees of the right to a fair trial.
He also states that his appeal against his conviction was not forwarded to the competent courts, thereby compromising his access to international justice.
Babayan also cites several irregularities and inconsistencies that occurred during the trial, including the disappearance of documents addressed to the appeals court, the confiscation of his closing statement, and contradictory and manifestly absurd testimonies presented in court. According to him, these elements demonstrate the political and arbitrary nature of the proceedings against the Armenian prisoners.
These statements, which add to the many concerns already expressed, raise serious concerns regarding respect for human rights and fundamental judicial guarantees for the Armenian prisoners still detained in Azerbaijan.
LIBERTAS urges the European Commission to demand that Azerbaijan immediately and unconditionally release the Armenian prisoners detained in Baku, under threat of sanctions, based on several European Parliament resolutions condemning the show trials staged against Armenians, the testimony of Davit Babayan, and reports by independent legal experts.
LIBERTAS reiterates that every detained person has the right to an independent and impartial trial, to an effective remedy, and to respect for their human dignity in accordance with international law.
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LIBERTAS is working for the release of Armenian state hostages and the rehabilitation of released prisoners․
