Karabakh politicians convicted in Baku demanded that the Armenian authorities pay attention to their problems.

Former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan appealed to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, demanding he identify those responsible for supporting Armenian prisoners. Former Nagorno-Karabakh Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan asked the Armenian Ombudsman to help convey the charges and verdict to the family.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," convicted Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan demanded the Armenian government's involvement in the fate of Armenian prisoners and asked the Ombudsman to travel to Azerbaijan with a delegation of the prisoners' relatives. Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan declined the visit, citing a lack of authority to protect Armenians outside the country.

Ruben Vardanyan, serving a 20-year sentence in Baku, issued a statement in response to the response of Armenian Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan. Vardanyan previously proposed sending a delegation of the Armenian Ombudsman to Baku with relatives of Armenian prisoners, according to Newsarmenia.

"I will not publicly evaluate her position. This is a matter between her and her conscience. I will simply say: I am sincerely sorry. God be your judge," the former Artsakh state minister said in a telephone conversation with the family.

Vardanyan emphasized that he had very specific questions not only for the Human Rights Defender's Office, but also for the Prime Minister of Armenia.

"If protecting Armenian citizens in Azerbaijani prisons is not part of the mandate of the Armenian Ombudsman, then whose mandate is it? Who in the state has been appointed responsible for this issue? When was this person appointed? Why do neither the prisoners' families nor the public know about this?" reads a message published on the Ruben Vardanyan Telegram channel.

According to him, there are people who have been in Baku prisons for six years. During this time, the Armenian government has been unable to organize a stable and clear mechanism for communicating with them - neither through a third party, including the embassies of other states with a presence in Baku, nor through international organizations.

"Why can Armenian representatives travel to Azerbaijan on trade, economic and other issues, but cannot organize a trip to discuss the life, health and legal status of Armenian prisoners? Isn't the fate of people more important than trade negotiations? Why hasn't a normal mechanism for handing over the most basic items to prisoners been organized yet?" Vardanyan asks.

He also reported that a number of people have not received parcels for over a year. Many do not have normal clothing and are unable to obtain what they really need, given their age, health and living conditions. Instead, assistance is organized informally, non-transparently and without regard for the real needs of the prisoners. People receive not what they need, but what someone decided to give them. According to Vardanyan, this isn't aid, but handouts.

He noted that among those being held are people over 70 years old with serious health problems. If people with missing teeth are given dried fruit, that's not aid. This is humiliation, he pointed out.

"Aren't you ashamed? Aren't you ashamed to receive the peace prize, talk about peace and accept applause, when Armenian citizens continue to be held in Baku prisons without proper protection, without systemic support, assistance and control from their own state?" Ruben Vardanyan concluded.

He called for the name of the person responsible, the publication of the mechanism of work and an explanation of what has been done over the past six years.

Former Chairman of the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh David Ishkhanyan, who is imprisoned in Baku, appealed to the Ombudsman of Armenia with a request to facilitate the transfer of the full texts of the indictment and verdict to his family, NEWS.am reports.

Ishkhanyan appealed to Anahit Manasyan with a proposal to obtain the full texts of the indictments and verdicts in Armenian and Azerbaijani languages ​​through the relevant structures of Azerbaijan or through the mediation of an Azerbaijani counterpart and hand them over to his family and relatives.

According to Ishkhanyan, the day before the convicted Artsakh residents were visited by Azerbaijani Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva, to whom he handed a previously prepared written appeal, which contained a specific request that, through her mediation, the full texts of the verdict be released to their family and relatives. Aliyeva promised to provide the family with the Azerbaijani version of the document and to try to act as a mediator.

He also claims that during the trial, he was not allowed to fully deliver his closing statement. According to him, he was never able to deliver at least a third of his speech. "This trial is against the Armenian people and Armenian statehood, with clear goals and a long-term strategy," Ishkhanyan stated.

As a reminder, Ruben Vardanyan only announced in September 2022 his decision to renounce his Russian citizenship and move to Nagorno-Karabakh to support local residents who are "in a grave psychological state." In October 2022, Vardanyan agreed to head the government, and became State Minister on November 4, 2022. However, on February 23, 2023, Vardanyan was dismissed after serving as State Minister for less than four months. During this period, Vardanyan was forced to seek solutions to the problems faced by the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh due to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

Later, in the Baku court, Vardanyan's defense pointed out that the prosecution accused him of events that occurred, in part, many years before his arrival in Karabakh. Azerbaijani citizens recognized as victims also testified to this in court. In particular, they spoke about shelling in the Kelbajar region, which came under Baku's control back in 2020, and in the Zangilan region, which was also occupied by Azerbaijan in 2020.

The same court, since January 2025, has been hearing the case of 15 former leaders and residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, detained in September-October 2023. They were charged under 20 articles of the Criminal Code, including war crimes. All the defendants refused to plead guilty, but on February 5, the court sentenced them to life and other long-term imprisonment. According to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Azerbaijan officially confirms that it is holding only 33 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, but Armenian human rights activists have reported that another 80 Armenian prisoners were captured. The ICRC terminated its mission in Azerbaijan on September 3, 2025, at the request of the Azerbaijani government. Caucasian Knot has prepared the reports "Key Points on the Sentences of Former Nagorno-Karabakh Leaders" and "Vardanyan and 15 Karabakh Leaders: Key Points on the Baku Courts".