Levon Kocharyan raised the issue of sham trials of Armenian prisoners of war in Baku at the UN

ArmInfo. Levon Kocharyan, a member of the Armenian parliament from the opposition Armenia faction, raised the issue of sham trials of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York.

As the opposition member reported on his Facebook page, during his visit, he met with high-ranking officials of the UN Secretariat, as well as with representatives of Great Britain, France, Cyprus, Montenegro, and Latvia. During these meetings, the member of parliament drew the attention of international partners to Azerbaijan's attempts to impose a new Constitution on Armenia and to the situation of the Armenians of Artsakh, who have been subjected to ethnic cleansing.

As a reminder, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist operation," Initiated a large-scale aggression against Artsakh, which led to the complete de-Armenization of the NKR. This was preceded by a nearly 10-month blockade of the republic. Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which culminated in the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September 2023, over 150,000 Artsakh residents have lost their homeland and become refugees.

It should be noted that the exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons is still unknown. Experts estimate the number to be several hundred. Today, Azerbaijani authorities confirm the presence of 19 Armenians in their custody. Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are eight former and current members of the military-political leadership of Artsakh. These are 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, David Babayan, David Ishkhanyan, David 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.