What changed

B100182/2025

B100178/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Unlawfulunlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan

(2025/2596(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and Azerbaijan,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas there are 23 Armenian hostages detained in Azerbaijan, including former de facto Nagorno-Karabakh officials and POWs from the 2020 war;

whereas there are over 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan as well as 23 Armenian prisoners of war, including leaders from Nagorno-Karabakh; whereas many of those arrested were taken into Azerbaijani custody after the September 2023 Azerbaijani military aggression;

B. whereas the Armenian prisoners are currently being held in Azerbaijani prisons without adequate legal representation, and are subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, psychological pressure; whereas the fundamental rights of the prisoners are being regularly violated;

whereas Israel receives Azeri oil in exchange for weapons and drones fueling the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh;

C. whereas the captive Armenians are undergoing sham trails, in which their rights as defendants are not respected; whereas they are not guaranteed independent legal representation and allegedly not offered due process; whereas allegedly banned psychoactive methods have been used against those prisoners to extract coerced testimonies; whereas they are facing multiple year sentences once convicted;

whereas those detentions appear to be part of a broader effort by Azerbaijan to intimidate Armenians who were part of its governance structures.

D. whereas Azerbaijan has systematically violated its international obligations regarding the treatment of prisoners, including the Geneva Conventions and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights;

whereas political prisoner and 2024 Sakharov Prize finalist Gubad Ibadoghlu remains under house arrest and in a dire health condition;

E. whereas one of the former de facto Nagorno-Karabkah officials Ruben Vardanyan is on hunger strike protesting against his unlawful detention;

Calls for the unconditional release and safe return of all the prisoners of war, hostages and other detained individuals unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan, including high-ranking officials from Nagorno-Karabakh ; welcomes the statement of UN High Commissioner on Human rights in that regard;

1. Condemns the detention of the Armenian prisoners; demands the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war, detainees and former high-ranking officials of Nagorno-Karabakh; strongly denounces the ongoing sham trials;

Strongly condemns the shams trials brought against them in violations of due process, lack of transparency, and the use of fabricated or exaggerated charges;

2. Calls for sanctions under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against all those Azerbaijani officials responsible for the unlawful detentions, human rights violations and conduct of the sham trials, in particular judges, such as Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev and presiding judge Zeynal Agayev and prosecutors;

Invites the authorities to abide by their international commitment and ensure correct treatment of prisoners, protected from torture and other ill-treatment, with medication, food and water;

3. Insists that any future partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan be made conditional on the release of all political prisoners and the overall improvement of the human rights situation in the country, as well as on Azerbaijan demonstrating its genuine readiness to faithfully engage in the negotiation of a peace agreement with Armenia and to respect the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians;

Calls for a ban on entry to the EU institutions for Azerbaijani officials responsible for unlawful detentions and human rights violations, including but not limited to presiding judge Zeynal Agayev, judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev, and prosecutors;

4. Calls on the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to conduct meetings with the Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan; demands the presence of the EU ambassador and those of Member States accredited in Baku to observe and monitor the sham trails;

Calls upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its Chief Prosecutor to investigate cases submitted by the Center for Truth and Justice and Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudspersons on the forced displacement, persecution, and ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh;

5. Calls for the full implementation of all orders issued by ICJ, including the obligations of Azerbaijan to protect from violence and bodily harm all persons captured in relation to the 2020 war who remain in detention, to ensure their security and equality before the law;

Is particularly concerned by the Azerbaijan’s decision to shut down UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Baku, only entity with access to detained former officials, hence hindering humanitarian oversight;

6. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately end the crackdown on all dissident groups and unconditionally release and drop all charges against human rights defenders, journalists and political and other prosecuted activists; demands access of an independent international medical team to assess the exact medical condition of all the Armenian detainees;

Is concerned more generally about the continued repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan ;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, Member States and the President, Government and Parliament of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Reiterates its calls to immediately suspend the strategic partnership with Azerbaijan in the field of energy ; strongly calls on the effective enforcement by Azerbaijan of human rights commitments with clear benchmarks, including the release of all political prisoners, efforts to ensure peace and security in the region and respect of internationally recognized borders of its neighboring countries

Regrets further that Azerbaijan has not ratified several important International Labour Organisation’s intruments on forced labour, occupational safety or social security ;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, Member States and the President, Government and Parliament of Azerbaijan.