The Armenian Center for Political Rights issued a statement about the fake trials of Armenian military and political figures of Artsakh captured in Baku and the problems of their coverage.
The statement is presented below: Today, the fake trials of captured Armenian military and political figures of Artsakh are starting in Baku, about which an announcement was made a month ago.
In particular:
Vardanyan's signatures were forged for statements with unknown content and other procedural actions.
Pressure was also exerted on the lawyer and the crown prince to sign those documents. Vardanyan and his lawyer were not given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the official indictment and were not given a reasonable time to familiarize themselves with the case materials in an understandable language. they state that what is happening is exclusively political persecution.
In the context of proven torture, the general context of Armenian hatred and the violation of other fundamental rights that cannot be reasonably denied [3], the proceedings in Baku cannot be considered legal under any circumstances.
It should be kept in mind that any testimony to be extracted by the political persecuted figures in the past, present or future cannot be considered credible, because it stems from torture or the immediate threat of it.
At the same time, it should be kept in mind that political persecution should be considered not only violations of torture and procedural rights by the occupying state, but also the refusal of the Republic of Armenia, the country of citizenship of the prisoners, to provide proper mechanisms for the protection of rights.
In the event that the state does not implement all the necessary measures, including international legal instruments, the suspicion of political persecution by the Republic of Armenia should also be considered reasonable.
Considering the above, as well as the fact that the Baku regime will turn the process into an anti-Armenian propaganda show, the Armenian Center for Political Rights calls on the media, commentators, active users on social platforms.
To cover the process with maximum caution, so as not to inadvertently contribute to the additional spread of anti-Armenian propaganda messages from the Azerbaijani side; Check as thoroughly as possible the news published in Azeri as well as non-Azerbaijani sources about the trial, refrain from spreading any questionable material;
Refrain from circulating photos and videos of Armenian political prisoners, understanding that the Azerbaijani side will release only such video and audio materials that can be interpreted to the detriment of Armenian prisoners.
