Baku Court Rejects Armenian POW’s Request to Call Pashinyan and Mirzoyan as Witnesses

Another staged trial against Armenian captives took place today in Baku, once again showing Azerbaijan’s attempt to turn justice into a political weapon. The trial targeted former political and military leaders of Artsakh, who remain unlawfully imprisoned since the forced displacement of Artsakh’s population in 2023.

According to Azerbaijani media, during the hearing, former Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Davit Manukyan petitioned the court to summon Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as a witness, or at least allow him to participate via videoconference. His request shows that the testimonies of key figures are essential to understanding the truth behind the events, but the Baku authorities refused.

Former Artsakh Foreign Minister Davit Babayan also submitted a motion to call the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs as witnesses, with a special mention of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, along with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. Babayan explained that he and Manukyan had direct communication with these individuals during their official duties, which made their testimonies critical for a fair process.

Former Speaker of the Artsakh Parliament Davit Ishkhanyan further demanded that the court hear from six Russian peacekeeping generals who served in Artsakh: General Muradov, General Kosobokov, General Anashkin, General Volkov, General Lentsov, and General Kulakov. Their role as witnesses could have shed light on Azerbaijan’s violations and its aggression against Artsakh’s civilian population.

However, the prosecutor immediately urged the court to dismiss all these motions, and the presiding judge once again obeyed, denying every single request. This proves that these trials are not about justice but about humiliating and punishing Artsakh’s leaders in front of the Azerbaijani public.

Since January 17, Azerbaijan has been holding this so-called “trial” against the former political and military leadership of Artsakh. Among the defendants are former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, along with former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, and others. The case of former State Minister and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, who has been a target of Baku’s political revenge, is being examined separately.

By staging these trials, Azerbaijan is trying to rewrite history and criminalize the leaders who defended Artsakh’s right to exist. Instead of addressing its war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and violations of international law, Baku continues to persecute those who resisted its dictatorship.

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