While the attention of the international community is gradually being diverted away from the South Caucasus, one issue remains of serious concern to human rights defenders. This is the fate of the Armenian prisoners of war illegally held in Azerbaijan, both civilians and former servicemen, who were captured in 2023 after the military operations conducted by Azerbaijan in the autumn. Thus, it is necessary to send a large-scale petition to the OSCE to activate Moscow’s mechanism to investigate and put pressure on Azerbaijan. As of today, the number of signatures has reached 3,807 against the planned 5,500. In other words, almost 70 per cent have already been collected.
The petition is circulated among civil society networks and is addressed to senior officials of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It calls for the activation of a rarely used diplomatic tool: the Moscow Mechanism. This 1991 OSCE agreement allows independent fact-finding missions to investigate serious human rights violations in member states.
The Moscow Mechanism: A Precedent for Accountability
The petition urges OSCE member states to invoke the Moscow Mechanism, which can be triggered by at least ten participating states. The mechanism enables the dispatch of a team of independent experts to assess human rights conditions on the ground and report back with non-binding but influential recommendations.
The mechanism has been used in several recent crises—including in Ukraine and Belarus—demonstrating its relevance in contexts where national systems fail to provide accountability. The petitioners argue that the situation in Azerbaijan now meets the threshold for such intervention, particularly as traditional diplomatic pressure has yielded little progress.
The signatories hope to bring international scrutiny to what they describe as arbitrary detention, discriminatory treatment and due process violations against Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.
The initiators of the petition note that Azerbaijan infringes on fundamental freedoms by regularly conducting illegal detentions, systematic discrimination, especially against ethnic Armenians, and violating the right to a fair trial. ‘The basis for the legitimacy, invulnerability and success of the worldwide network of Armenian National Committees and offices is the Armenian people,” the initiators of the petition note. ‘The activities we carry out are often nothing more than the realisation of work in line with the political demands of our people. Before every significant event, the Armenian National Committee network committees reach out to Armenian communities for support.Today, the Central Bureau of the Armenian National Committee network addresses our entire nation, both in the homeland and in the Diaspora:
Dear compatriots, the possibility of freeing our Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan is impossible because of the sham trials. There is no justice in Azerbaijan, no fair trial, and no strict application of the law. In this case, the constant intensification of international pressure on Azerbaijan is of great importance. Therefore, the Central Office of the Armenian National Committee network has launched the process of collecting signatures for an online petition addressed to the OSCE’s top officials’, – explain the initiators of the signature collection.
The OSCE has a number of tools at its disposal that would enable it to carry out an independent professional fact-finding mission in any Member State. In the case of Azerbaijan, this would make it possible to conduct an independent professional investigation to verify the legality of the trials, the conditions of the Armenian prisoners and their state of health. This will make it possible to obtain a professionally independent and appropriate position, which will then serve as the basis for the OSCE’s political position.The Armenian National Committee network committees and offices are currently working to ensure that the relevant OSCE bodies send a professional fact-finding mission to Baku as soon as possible, in accordance with the 1991 OSCE Moscow Mechanism. To date, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism has had 19 preliminary experiences of implementation in different countries’ the initiators of the petition underline.
‘The petition, published by the Central Office of the Armenian National Committee network, aims to collect as many signatures as possible and send them to the relevant OSCE officials.
Therefore, we ask you to sign the petition on the website of the Central Office of The Armenian National Committee network – armeniancause.net or at this link and contribute to the restoration of our collective dignity and justice.
The OSCE, which through the Minsk Group has always recognised the legitimacy of Artsakh’s military-political leadership and negotiated with it for decades, cannot stand aside and fail to take a clear position on these serious violations of human rights and the organisation’s fundamental values in the OSCE area of operation. The Central Office of the Armenian National Committee network will regularly update the public on the outcome of this process’ the initiators of the petition state.
Time for the OSCE to Step Up
While the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is gradually fading from Europe’s diplomatic agenda, the signatories of the petition are trying to rekindle attention. They insist that every day counts. If no pressure is brought to bear, they warn, normalisation could set in against a backdrop of neglect of fundamental rights.
In their view, the OSCE, as a multilateral forum dedicated to security and cooperation, must demonstrate the same firmness that it has mobilised elsewhere. What is at stake, they say, is its credibility. And beyond that, the fate of dozens of men who have become the silent symbols of a conflict that is not yet over.
With this petition, the signatories are sending a clear message: the time for passive diplomacy is over. The OSCE, as a forum committed to peace, dialogue and human rights, must act decisively if it is to retain its credibility. The same standards applied to other crises in the OSCE area should be applied here.
For the detainees themselves, time is a matter of survival, not symbolism. And for the international community, silence is not neutrality, it is complicity.
Who are the Armenian prisoners held illegally in Azerbaijan?
Of the 23 Armenian prisoners languishing in Azerbaijani jails, 8 are members of Artsakh’s military-political leadership, 6 are captured civilians and 9 are Armenian prisoners of war.
Azerbaijan, while presenting these people with a number of serious and absurd accusations, is cynically manipulating them by linking their fate to the political concessions that the Azerbaijani authorities are demanding from the Republic of Armenia as part of the peace negotiations. Fundamentally, these prisoners are hostages, being used by Baku to achieve one or other of its objectives.
Political prisoners
Davit Babayan is an Armenian politician and statesman, a political scientist with a doctoral degree in History.
Davit Babayan served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh from 2021 to 2023 and is an associate professor. Born on 5 April 1973, in Stepanakert, int he autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh (formerly part of the Soviet Union), he is the founding president of the Conservative Party of Artsakh and holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Davit Babayan was taken hostage on 28 September 2023 by the Azerbaijani authorities.
Davit Ishkhanyan is a politician and statesman who has been serving as the President of the National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic since August 2023, a month before the Azerbaijani aggression.
Davit lshkhanyan was born on 27 December 1968, in the village of Ashan, Martuni region, Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region (USSR). Hepreviously held the position of deputy in the Supreme Council during the first convocation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. In 2015, Davit lshkhanyan was elected as a deputy of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic National Assembly. Ishkhanyan is a member of the Bureau of the ARF ‘Dashnaktsutyun’ political party. On 3 October 2023, Davit lshkhanyan was kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces in Stepanakert and abducted to Baku.
Arkady Ghukasyan is an Armenian politician and statesman. Arkady Ghukasyan is the second President of the Republic of Artsakh (1997-2007).
Arkady Ghukasyan was born on 22 June 1957 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region (USSR). He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, former Ambassador in charge of Special Missions of the President of the Republic of Armenia. On 3 October 2023, Arkady Ghukasyan was kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces in Stepanakert and abducted to Baku.
Arayik Harutyunyan is an Armenian politician and statesman, the former President (2020-2023) of the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh.
Arayik Harutyunyan was born on 14 December 1973, in Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region (Soviet Union). He holds a doctorate in Technical Sciences. Previously adeputy in the National Assembly, he served as the Minister of State (2017-2020) and is the Chairman ofthe Azat Hayrenik Party. Arayik Harutyunyan was kidnapped and abducted to Baku by the Azerbaijani authorities on 3 October 2023.
Davit Manukyan is an Armenian military officer holding the rank of Major General.
Davit Manukyan was born on 15 October 1971, in Jermuk (Armenian SSR, Soviet Union). He held various military positions within the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh (1992-2022). As the Former First Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, he retired from the military in 2022. Davit Manukyan was kidnapped by the Azerbaijani authorities on September 27, 2023 while entering Armenia with other Artsakh civilians at the illegal checkpoint on the Hakari Bridge, established following the illegal blockade of the Berdzor (Latchin) corridor by Azerbaijan.
Lyova (Levon) Mnatsakanyan is an Armenian military officer, a former commander of the Defense Army, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Artsakh / Nagorno Karabakh (2015-2018), and a lieutenant general.
Levon Mnatsakanyan was born on 14 September 1965, in Stepanakert, in the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh (formerly part of the Soviet Union). Serving as the commander of the Defense Army and the first deputy chief of staff, Levon Mnatsakanyan was kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces on 29 September 2023 while entering Armenia with other Artsakh civilians at the illegal checkpoint on the Hakari Bridge, established following the illegal blockade of the Berdzor (Latchin) corridor by Azerbaijan.
Bako Sahakyan is an Armenian politician and statesman. Sahakyan is the third and longest-serving President of the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, having held this position from July 2007 to May 2020. He holds the rank of Major General in the Armenian Armed Forces.
Bako Sahakyan was born on 30 August 1960,in Stepanakert, in the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh (formerly part of the Soviet Union), he held the position of Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Artsakh after serving as the Director of the National Security Service of the Republic of Artsakh. He was kidnapped in Stepanakert by the Azerbaijani authorities and was abducted to Baku on 3 October 2023.
Ruben Vardanyan is an Armenian businessman, philanthropist, public figure and politician. He was born on 25 May 1968 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR (Soviet Union). Vardanyan was Minister of State (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Artsakh from 4 November 2022 to 27 September 2023. Ruben Vardanyan is co-founder of the Aurora humanitarian initiative.
Ruben Vardanyan was abducted by the Azerbaijani authorities on 27 September 2023 as he was entering Armenia with other Artsakh civilians at the illegal checkpoint on the Hakari Bridge, set up following Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Berdzor (Latchin) corridor.
Civilian prisoners
Madat Badayan
Born September 15, 1952
The 71-year-old shepherd was reported missing after the September 19, 2023 attack. On November 2, 2023, Baku announced his arrest.
Rashid Beglaryan
Born on 2 November 1962.
Arrested in 2023. On 1 August, during the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh, while walking in the village of Aghavno, which had passed under Azerbaijani control a year earlier.
On 12 July 2024, in a show trial at the Baku military court, Beglaryan was found guilty of war crimes for his participation in the first Artsakh war in the early 1990s and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
David Davtyan
Born on 5 February 1993.
The humanitarian worker was kidnapped (along with his associate Gevorg Sujyan) in 2020. 11 November (after the announcement of a trilateral ceasefire on 9 November) on the Berdzor-Shushi road in Artsakh.
On 28 July 2021, Davtyan and Sujyan were found guilty of espionage and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in a mock trial at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.
Vicken Euljekjian
Born on 12 July 1979.
On 10 November 2020, hours after the 2020 ceasefire agreement entered into force, Eolchekjian, an Armenian citizen of Lebanese origin, was abducted in Shushi, Artsakh, along with his girlfriend of Lebanese Armenian origin, Maral Najarian, who was travelling with him.
Le 14 juin 2021, lors d’un simulacre de procès au tribunal de district de Yasamal, Eolchekjian a été reconnu coupable de terrorisme et de mercenariat et condamné à 20 ans d’emprisonnement.
Gevorg Sujyan
Born on 21 January 1989
This aid worker was abducted (along with his partner David Davtyan) on 11 November 2020 (after the announcement of a trilateral ceasefire on 9 November) on the Berdzor-Shushi road in Artsakh.
On 28 July 2021, in a show trial at the Baku Serious Crimes Court, Sujyan and Davtyan were found guilty of espionage and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Vagif Khachatryan
Born on 28 October 1955.
Khachatryan was evacuated from Artsakh by the International Committee of the Red Cross to receive emergency medical treatment in Armenia when Azerbaijani border guards abducted him from the Lachin Corridor checkpoint on 29 July 2023.
His formal trial took place in the Yasamal District Court, presided over by Judge Jamal Ramazanov of the Baku Military Court, on 13 October 2023, where he was groundlessly accused of committing ‘genocide’ in the village of Meshali, Khojaly district, during the First Artsakh War in the 1990s. On 7 November, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. A subsequent appeal was rejected.
Prisoners of war
David Alaverdyan
Age : 36 years
Time of arrest : September 2023
Place of arrest : Artsakh
Levon Balayan
Age: 46 years
Time of arrest: September 2023 Place of arrest: Artsakh
Vasily Beglaryan
Age: 31 years
Time of arrest: September 2023 Place of arrest: Artsakh
Eric Ghazaryan
Age: 39
Date of arrest: September 2023
Place of arrest: Artsakh
Alesha Khosrovyan
Age: 56
Time of arrest: 3 October 2020
Place of arrest: Artsakh
His (and Ludvig Mkrtchyan’s) mock trial took place in June 2021 at the administrative building of the Yasamal District Court. Khosrovyan was found guilty of torturing Azerbaijani hostages taken during the First Artsakh War in the 1990s and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on 2 August 2021.
Garik Martirosyan
Age: 52 years
At the time of his arrest: September 2023.
Place of arrest: Artsakh
Ludwig Mkrtchyan
Age: 54
At the time of his arrest on 20 October 2020.
Place of arrest: Artsakh
His (and Alesha Hsoroyan’s) mock trial took place in June 2021 at the administrative building of the Yasamal District Court. Mkrtchyan was found guilty of torturing Azerbaijani hostages taken during the first Artsakh war in the 1990s and is due to be sentenced in 2021. On 2 August, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Melikset Pashayan
Age: 53 years
At the time of arrest: September 2023.
Place of arrest: Artsakh
Gurgen Stepanyan
Age: 37 years
At the time of his arrest: September 2023.
Place of arrest: Artsakh
A Legal and Ethical Challenge to Baku’s Commitments
The appeal goes beyond individual cases. It raises broader concerns about the state of civil and political liberties in Azerbaijan, long governed by President Ilham Aliyev, who has been in power since 2003. Under his rule, the country has frequently been criticised for its suppression of dissent, curbing of independent media, and the instrumentalisation of the judiciary to silence opposition.
Azerbaijan is, however, a signatory to several international frameworks—including within the OSCE—which require adherence to fundamental human rights norms. According to the petitioners, the treatment of Armenian prisoners flagrantly breaches these obligations.
There are also accusations of ethnic animosity underpinning the detention policies. Human rights observers warn that these acts are not isolated but form part of a broader narrative of ethnic discrimination, particularly targeting individuals of Armenian origin from the former Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Main source: armeniancause.net