Armenian Legal Center rejects any attempt to portray the return of  four Armenian prisoners from Baku as Azerbaijan`s "generous gesture" 

ArmInfo. The Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC) has called for immediate, coordinated international action to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war held in  Baku, without any exchange conditions, political concessions, or  delays.

In a statement on its Facebook page regarding the transfer of  four PoWs to the Armenian side, the ALC noted that the release of  Gevorg Sujyan, David Davtyan, Vicken Euljekjian, and Vagif  Khachatryan brought relief to their families and communities, but did  not bring justice or stop Azerbaijan's ongoing violations.

"These Armenians were unlawfully held in Baku prisons under  conditions that violated the most basic guarantees of international  humanitarian and human rights law. Their return cannot obscure the  centrall truth: Azerbaijan engaged in prolonged hostage-taking and  coercive detentions, and today's transfer does undo that crime, nor  does it resolve the grave violations that remain ongoing," the Center  noted.

Ken Khachikian, Chairman of the Armenian Legal Center, noted that  these Armenians should never have been detained, and  selective  releases are no substitute for justice. "Despite clear obligations  affirmed by the European Parliament, the US Congress, and the  November 9, 2020 agreement, Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian  prisoners of war as leverage. The demand is simple: free everyone  still unlawfully detained, disclose the fate of the missing, and stop  using human beings as  bargaining chips," Khachikyan added.  The  Armenian Legal Center also noted that " Critically, today's transfer  occurred in parallel with Armenia's handover of two Syrian nationals  serving life sentences to Syrian authorities via Turkiye. This  sequencing makes clear that today's development was a prisoner  exchange, not an unconditional humanitarian act. Any attempt to  portray Azerbaijan's actions as "confidence-building" is a distortion  of reality and an affront to international law."

The ALC pointed out that at least 19 Armenians, including members of  Artsakh's military and political leadership, remain unlawfully held  in Baku. " Their continued captivity is not a bargaining chip or a  diplomatic footnote-it is an ongoing human-rights and  humanitarian-law crisis demanding urgent international action," the  ALC stated.  It also notes that the Armenian Legal Center remains  deeply alarmed by credible and documented reports of torture, cruel  and degrading treatment, and unfair trials against Armenians. " Human  Rights Watch and other international observers have documented abuse  of Armenian POWs, while fair-trial monitors have raised serious  concerns regarding opaque proceedings, political interference,  coerced confessions, and predetermined outcomes-hallmarks of show  trials, not justice," the Armenian Legal Center noted.

The Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights also called  for the establishment of truth and accountability for the forcibly  disappeared and missing, including full disclosure of detention  records and location, and where applicable, the return of their  remains. "International humanitarian law imposes an affirmative duty  to account for missing persons and recognizes the fundamental right  of families to know the fate of their loved ones," the legal center  stated.

Furthermore, the ALC stated that a repeat of the "Safarov precedent"  (Hungary's extradition to Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, the murderer  of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, who was sentenced to life  imprisonment and glorified after his extradition to his homeland -  ed.) is unacceptable. Tthe Armenian Legal Center noted in this  regard, the two Syrian citizens extradited to Azerbaijan were  convicted in Armenian courts of mercenarism and related war crimes  and were supposed to serve life sentences. " Their transfer must not  result in pardon, impunity, or glorification-outcomes that would echo  the Safarov case, where a convicted murderer was celebrated rather  than held accountable. Any such result would fuel further violence,  injustice, and hatred and must be categorically rejected by all  parties and the international community. Justice Is Not Selective-and  Peace Cannot Be Built on Hostage-Taking. We are relieved that four  Armenians are finally free. But we categorically reject any attempt  to frame their return as a "generous gesture" by the detaining power.  Equally, Armenian authorities must not allow human lives-POWs,  detainees, the missing, or the forcibly disappeared-to be  instrumentalized for domestic political positioning or electoral  messaging," the ALC stated.

Summing up, the Armenian Legal Center noted that until every Armenian  unlawfully held in Baku is freed, until the fate of every missing  person is clarified, and until the right of return of  forcibly  displaced Armenians of Artsakh is guaranteed and implemented in  accordance with international law, this crisis remains unresolved,  and the world must treat it as such.