Baku Appeals Court Upholds Life Sentences for Former Artsakh Leaders and Other Armenian Prisoners

A court in Azerbaijan has upheld the convictions and prison sentences of former Artsakh leaders and other Armenian prisoners, rejecting their appeals and leaving in place the harsh penalties imposed earlier this year.

According to Azerbaijani media, the Baku Court of Appeals ruled on Aug. 6 to uphold the Feb. 5 verdicts issued by the Baku Military Court. The appeals filed by former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, and the other Armenian detainees were all denied.

The decision leaves life prison sentences in place for Harutyunyan, Mnatsakanyan, former Deputy Defense Army Commander Davit Manukyan, Ishkhanyan, and Babayan.

The court also upheld 20-year prison terms for Ghukasyan and Sahakyan. Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan will continue serving 19-year sentences, Garik Martirosyan 18 years, Davit Alaverdyan and Levon Balayan 16 years, and Vasily Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Erik Ghazaryan 15 years.

Azerbaijan detained the former Artsakh military and political leadership in September 2023 following its military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh. The operation came after a nine-month blockade of the region and was followed by the forced displacement of its entire Armenian population. Armenia and numerous international experts have described the exodus as ethnic cleansing.

The original verdicts were handed down in February 2026. Harutyunyan, Mnatsakanyan, Manukyan, Ishkhanyan, and Babayan were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Former Artsakh Presidents Ghukasyan and Sahakyan, along with former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, each received 20-year prison terms because Azerbaijani law does not permit life sentences for defendants who are 65 years of age or older.

The prosecutions have been widely condemned by Armenia, international human rights organizations, and legal experts, who have raised concerns over due process, access to legal representation, and the fairness of the trials. Armenia has repeatedly called for the release of all Armenian prisoners still held in Azerbaijan.

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