Armenia’s government is facing criticism for not doing enough to secure the release of eight former Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) leaders and other Armenian captives held by Azerbaijan, according to the exiled human rights ombudsman of Karabakh, Gegham Stepanian.
Leading a protest in Yerevan on Friday, Stepanian expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s efforts to free at least 23 Armenians still in Azerbaijani custody. The protest drew several hundred participants who marched to various key locations, including the United Nations office, the U.S., Russian, and French embassies, and the Armenian Foreign Ministry. Their aim was to call for international pressure on Azerbaijan to release the prisoners and clarify the status of dozens of missing Armenians from Karabakh, ahead of the upcoming COP29 climate summit in Baku.
Stepanian emphasized that Armenian authorities are not taking sufficient action on the issue and raised concerns that a delegation from Armenia might still attend the summit, even if the captives remain in detention.
“There must be a clear policy at the state level,” Stepanian told reporters. “While different groups, such as the relatives of captives and concerned citizens, continue to organize actions, it’s the Republic of Armenia that should be at the forefront, pushing this issue internationally. That’s why we will also be submitting this petition to the Armenian Foreign Ministry.”
His predecessor, Ruben Melikian, an Armenian lawyer with ties to the opposition, echoed Stepanian’s frustrations. “We’ve received responses from abroad, both official and unofficial, saying, ‘Your own state isn’t taking this matter seriously, so what do you expect from us?’ Unfortunately, it’s difficult to argue against that,” Melikian remarked.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has maintained that his administration is advocating for the release of the captives, though specific details of these efforts remain unclear. Some Armenian officials have acknowledged that a potential peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, currently under discussion, does not guarantee the unconditional release of the prisoners.
Pashinyan has also come under fire for remarks he made about one of the captives, Ruben Vardanyan, a former Nagorno-Karabakh premier and billionaire. During a press conference on August 31, Pashinyan questioned why Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and relocated to Karabakh in 2022, comments that many saw as aligning with Azerbaijani claims that Vardanyan was sent by Moscow to further Russia’s interests. Critics accused Pashinyan of inadvertently aiding Azerbaijan in justifying Vardanyan’s ongoing detention.
Vardanyan, along with the other former Karabakh leaders, was captured after Azerbaijan’s military operation in September 2023. They are currently facing charges of “terrorism” and other serious offenses, though no trial dates have been announced. According to Vardanyan’s office, Azerbaijani interrogators recently questioned him in connection with Pashinyan’s remarks.
