The sham and sensationalized trial of Armenian political prisoners and hostages, who have been illegally held captive by Azerbaijan’s dictatorial regime for nearly 16 months and 500 days, began today in a bootlegged military court in what can only be described as an indisputable violation of their basic human and civil rights.
Azerbaijan has fabricated the fake trial as a pathetic “song and dance” spectacle for its servile people and to pad its pressure on the Republic of Armenia to gain further concessions against the best interests of our patrimony. This is Azerbaijan’s miserable attempt to orchestrate a deplorable final solution to its Artsakh Question. That self-imposed toxic issue has morphed into an inbred hallucination as Azerbaijan continues to threaten the people of Armenia with further acts of aggression, to discredit the Republic of Artsakh, to nullify the right to self-determination of the Armenians, and to eliminate the principles of justice and liberty from our national consciousness.
We reject these attempts to reshape the collective Armenian ethos and to swindle away the basic legal guarantees of fair play and substantial justice.
Those who were taken hostage and held captive were among the legitimate leadership of the Republic of Artsakh. They understood their responsibilities and fulfilled their duties at great personal cost; they remained in Stepanakert with the people until the very end; they stood in Artsakh, and they now sit in Baku’s jails, for truth and liberty.
Know their names. Follow their lead. Stand and work for freedom and independence.
We call on the world’s governments, including those of the Republic of Armenia and the United States, to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes and human rights violations, to secure the release of Armenian political prisoners and hostages in Baku, and to incorporate these priorities as part of their diplomatic discussions, including the recent US-Armenia strategic partnership agreement.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation WUSA
January 17, 2025
