THE CALL TO COP17 IN YEREVAN: DON'T FORGET THE ARMENIAN HOSTAGES (LIBERTAS)
This call was sent to the participants of COP17 in Yerevan, on October 11, 2026, by the undersigned groups* to raise their awareness on the dire situation of the Armenian hostages-prisoners in Baku and on the international conference to be held on October 16 in Yerevan too regarding their fate.
The call is HERE, and its text is provided below too.
*FreeArmenianHostages, an international, apolitical civic movement / LIBERTAS Collective
CALL TO COP17 PARTICIPANTS IN YEREVAN
Biodiversity, Human Rights, and Justice: Do Not Forget the Armenian Prisoners Interned in Baku
Dear COP17 participants,
you have come to Armenia to protect biodiversity, the foundation of life and a fundamental to humanity. But are you aware that just a few steps away from you in Yerevan, survivors of the genocide* committed just three years ago by the ruling dictatorship in Azerbaijan are struggling to survive?
The undersigned Human Rights organisations, members of the Free Armenian Hostages International Network, urge you not to forget them, and the Armenian hostages-prisoners still held in Azerbaijan, some of them for 6 years, as well as their families, who are facing a profound human ordeal.
Because the protection of life cannot be separated from respect for human dignity and fundamental rights, we strongly encourage you to take this opportunity to attend the LIBERTAS International Conference** in Yerevan on the afternoon of October 16, 2026.
Indeed, this gathering will bring together stakeholders committed to the release of prisoners, international legal proceedings, humanitarian mediation, and the psychological and social reintegration of those who have been released.
It would be unconscionable to separate the protection of nature from fundamental human rights—including the right to liberty and justice, which are currently denied to these state held hostages-prisoners.
Your presence and support will help amplify their voices and keep this humanitarian emergency at the center of international attention. Thank you.
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*In 2023, nearly 150,000 indigenous Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh were forced to leave their land and homes following the Azerbaijani offensive, amid a context of forced displacement described by many observers as ethnic cleansing. Compounding this tragedy is the plight of the Armenian prisoners still being held in Baku, deprived of their freedom and separated from their families.
**Full details about this conference and how to register, in person or online are on the flyer below and on this link: https://www.libertas2020.com/en
