Country for Life: For Armenian authorities, issue of Armenian POWs  long ceased to be foreign policy agenda

ArmInfo.  For the current Armenian authorities, the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and the protection of their rights have ceased to be a foreign policy agenda. This was stated by Mesrop Arakelyan, co-founder of the "Country for Life" party, on his Facebook page, responding to a message from former Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan from Azerbaijani  captivity.

Arakelyan recalled that in his message, Babayan presented several  episodes of the illegal trial conducted against him in Baku. In this  regard, he drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan's inhumane  behavior towards Armenian prisoners of war has occurred and continues  to occur with the tacit consent of the international community. "It  has long been clear that the international community is guided by its  own interests, and only through strong diplomacy can we find partners  who will support Armenia in resolving its problems," Arakelyan  emphasized.

At the same time, he noted with regret that the issue of Armenian  prisoners of war has ceased to be on the foreign policy agenda of the  current Armenian authorities. "Perhaps the Armenian Foreign Minister  (Ararat Mirzoyan - ed.), a passenger on Nikol Pashinyan's lucky bus,  will one day reveal which of those in prison in Baku played the main  role in his appointment as Foreign Minister," the party co-founder  concluded.

As a reminder, on May 14, former Foreign Minister of the  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic David Babayan, who is currently in  Azerbaijani captivity, addressed all human rights defenders and  people of good will, conveying his message through his family.  Specifically, he reported the disappearance of his appeals submitted  for consideration by the appellate court, as well as the confiscation  of his speech given in the first instance court on December 19, 2025,  during his transfer from the detention center to prison on April 21.   He reiterated his intention to appeal to the International Court of  Justice and called for the release of the human rights defenders'  most recent speeches, if they have not already been destroyed. It  should be noted that the exact number of Armenian prisoners of war  and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons remains unknown. Experts  estimate their number to be in the hundreds. Today, Azerbaijani  authorities confirm the presence of 19 Armenians in their custody.  Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are eight former and  current representatives of the military-political leadership of  Artsakh. These include former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan,  Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; former Foreign Minister Davit  Babayan; as well as Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan; former  Commander-in-Chief of the Artsakh Defense Army General Levon  Mnatsakanyan; General David Manukyan; and former State Minister Ruben  Vardanyan.

In February, a Baku puppet court sentenced Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit  Babayan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Manukyan, and Levon Mnatsakanyan to  life imprisonment on trumped-up charges, and Bako Sahakyan, Arkady  Ghukasyan, and Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. The so-called  court sentenced the remaining Artsakh residents to up to 15 years in  prison.