CSI to highlight plight of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan at Human Rights Council

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, September 24, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Just over a year after Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh, at least 23 ethnic Armenians – and possibly as many as 100 – are still being detained by the government of Azerbaijan, in defiance of international calls for their release.

On October 1, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) will host a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to highlight the case of these detainees.

This event features four of the leading advocates for the detainees:
- Siranush Sahakyan, a human rights lawyer who has been representing the detainees before the European Court of Human Rights and the UN human rights mechanisms
- Hasmik Harutyunyan, a legal expert who has been documenting human rights violations in Nagorno Karabakh since 2016
- Gurgen Petrossian, a legal scholar and activist who was deeply involved in Armenia’s accession to the International Criminal Court
- Gegham Stepanyan, the human rights ombudsman of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (appearing by video statement)

Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan have been denied their legal rights under international human rights law, and the abuse and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijani detention is well-documented.

In November, Baku will host the UN climate change conference. As COP29 approaches, a growing international movement is calling for freedom for those detained. The CSI event will explore the fate of the detainees, Azerbaijan’s responsibilities to them and their families under international law, and pathways to justice in the aftermath of the forced displacement of Nagorno Karabakh’s entire Armenian population.

The event takes place on October 1, at 10 am in Room XXV, Palais Des Nations. It will be livestreamed, and available to view here.

It is co-sponsored by the European Centre for Law and Justice, the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Centre, the Armenian Relief Society, and the World Council of Churches.

Joel Veldkamp
Christian Solidarity International
62581574
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