Armenian POW in Azerbaijan Appeals to World Over Alleged Rights Violations in Baku Trial, David Babayan Says Appeal Letters “Disappeared” in Azerbaijani Custody

Calling on the international community, human rights defenders, journalists, and democratic governments to pay attention to what he described as serious violations during ongoing court proceedings in Baku, former Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Foreign Minister David Babayan has issued a new public appeal from Azerbaijani captivity.

The audio message was provided to NEWS.am through Babayan’s family. In the lengthy statement, Babayan said complaint letters addressed to the appellate court had disappeared, raising fears that he and other detained former Artsakh officials may be prevented from bringing their cases before an international court.

Babayan said his lawyer informed him on May 7 that it was the final day for submitting applications to the appellate court. According to Babayan, he had already sent two applications from solitary confinement on February 23, along with another letter through the head of the detention facility requesting that the documents be forwarded.

“Dear compatriots, Armenians around the world, people of goodwill across the globe, human rights defenders, journalists, I am forced to appeal to you because I simply have no other alternative. You know that we have already been here for three years. Court proceedings are taking place and, of course, with major violations, but another violation has now been added to the previous ones. My complaint letters addressed to the appellate court have disappeared. They were meant to ensure that this case would also be reviewed in the appellate court, because we want to apply to an international court.”

Babayan stated that the documents “no longer exist” and said he was forced to write another letter requesting their submission. He added that he fears authorities may block future attempts to appeal.

The former Artsakh official also claimed that during his transfer from solitary confinement to prison on April 21, authorities confiscated the final statement he delivered in court on December 19, 2025.

“In addition to this, during my transfer from solitary confinement to prison on April 21, my final statement delivered in the court of first instance on December 19, 2025, was also confiscated. This is nothing more than another step aimed at destroying all critical speeches.”

Babayan called on Armenians and international organizations to demand access to the final court statements of Artsakh’s former political and military leadership, including in video form if they still exist.

A court in Baku sentenced Babayan to life imprisonment. Azerbaijani authorities accuse him and other former Artsakh leaders of “terrorism,” “war crimes,” and “genocide.” Armenian officials, human rights advocates, and many international observers have repeatedly raised concerns over the treatment of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan since the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.

In his message, Babayan described the judicial process against him and other detained Armenians as “fabricated” and politically motivated.

“Now I would briefly like to present the judicial process, because who knows what may happen to me tomorrow, so that you are generally informed about what is happening. This trial that is taking place is, of course, fabricated. All norms of humanity, justice, fairness, international law, and even their own legislation are being grossly violated.”

He also referred to the proceedings as “an ethnopolitical vendetta” directed against Armenians and Artsakh’s history.

“This is not a trial. This is an ethnopolitical vendetta, an ethnopolitical lynching directed against our people’s past, present, and future.”

Throughout the message, Babayan described several moments from the investigation and court hearings that he said demonstrated serious irregularities and contradictions.

One example involved items confiscated during his arrest.

“For example, the first thing that stands out is that the indictment states that during the search, two metallic objects of white and yellow color were found on me. These are my gold necklace with a cross and my silver prayer beads, both handmade. Now they describe them as some kind of metallic objects of white and yellow color.”

Babayan also recounted testimony from witnesses who allegedly confused him with other individuals during court proceedings.

“Then there were the explanations of the so-called witnesses. One witness who first ‘recognized’ me told me, ‘You are Vitaly Balasanyan, I remember you well, you beat and tortured me.’ Then everyone told him that he was talking about another person, but he still would not calm down.”

He described another witness who claimed Babayan tortured him during the 1990s war and insisted Babayan still looked exactly the same decades later.

“Another person who ‘recognized’ me said that I tortured him in the winter of 1994 and claimed that I had not changed at all, that I was still two meters tall with golden beard, mustache, and hair.”

Babayan argued that such testimonies should have led to investigations or legal consequences for false accusations.

“Do you understand? In a normal court at least three responses should have been given. Either those people should apologize, or they should undergo medical examinations because maybe they have some kind of issues, or it should be treated as slander and they should be sued.”

He also described confusion during questioning over a photograph of David Galstyan, a former deputy of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, whom investigators allegedly confused with another man known as “Patron Davo.”

According to Babayan, investigators initially claimed dozens of people had identified the wrong David Galstyan before later changing their account.

Babayan additionally criticized accusations that economic ties with unrecognized states constitute criminal activity. He pointed to what he described as contradictions during the trial itself, including the use of translation devices manufactured in Taiwan.

“When they accused us of illegal economic activity, they claimed that unrecognized states are illegal formations and having economic ties with them is itself a crime. But what happened during the trial? The simultaneous translation device used in court was made in Taiwan.”

Despite the accusations against Azerbaijani authorities, Babayan also stressed that he does not blame ordinary Azerbaijani citizens and said he had encountered “many very decent people” during his detention.

“There is no bad nation, and for that I am grateful to all good people.”

Babayan ended his message by thanking supporters in Armenia, the diaspora, Europe, the United States, and other countries for advocating on behalf of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.

“Stay strong. At this moment everything is still normal for us in prison and so on. Thank you very much, because this struggle is not only for us, it is for justice, human rights, and democracy,” David Babayan stated.

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