Lawyers Appeal to UN Over Illegal Detention of Armenian-Lebanese Citizen in Baku

The case of Vicken Euljekjian, an Armenian-Lebanese citizen who has been illegally held in Baku since November 2020, once again reveals the deep injustice faced by Armenians detained in Azerbaijan after the 2020 war over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). His lawyers have appealed to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), demanding his immediate release and drawing global attention to Azerbaijan’s continued violations of international law and human rights.

Euljekjian, a 46-year-old tour guide, was arrested on November 10, 2020, in Shushi, one day after the ceasefire that ended the second Artsakh war. He was later sentenced by a Baku military court to 20 years in prison, accused of “mercenary activity” and “terrorism.”

These charges are widely viewed as fabricated and politically motivated, part of Azerbaijan’s ongoing campaign of persecution against Armenians from Artsakh.

His lawyers, Maria Luciana Minasyan of Argentina and Aitor Martinez Jimenez of Spain, have filed a detailed petition to the UNWGAD presenting two central legal arguments.

First, that Azerbaijan had no jurisdiction to try a civilian in a military court — a direct violation of both UN and international legal standards. Second, that Euljekjian cannot be defined as a mercenary under the Geneva Conventions, as he is an Armenian-Lebanese citizen and not a foreign combatant.

The petition stresses that his detention conditions are severe and life-threatening, in violation of international norms protecting civilians and prisoners of war. His lawyers argue that Euljekjian’s arrest and trial were acts of political retaliation, not justice. By prosecuting him under military law, Azerbaijan continues to criminalize Armenians who lived or worked in Artsakh — a territory with deep Armenian historical and cultural roots.

In addition, the legal team has requested the recusal of UN Working Group member Hanna Yudkivska due to her professional and personal connections with Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR. These ties, they say, pose a conflict of interest in evaluating a case that directly involves the Azerbaijani government.

The petition also includes references to expert opinions by Luis Moreno Ocampo, the founding Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, as well as a formal complaint from the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) in Los Angeles, which defends the rights of Armenians affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

This case is part of a broader pattern of arbitrary detention, torture, and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners and civilians held by Azerbaijan. International human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned Baku for failing to release Armenian captives despite obligations under the Geneva Conventions and the 2020 ceasefire agreement.

Euljekjian’s imprisonment represents Azerbaijan’s ongoing campaign of hatred and repression against Armenians from Artsakh. His case shows how the Azerbaijani regime continues to defy international law, punishing Armenians simply for existing on their ancestral lands.

Maria Luciana Minasyan, an Argentine-Armenian human rights lawyer and genocide studies professor, and Aitor Martinez Jimenez, a Spanish international law expert known for representing Julian Assange before the UN, bring strong legal experience to the case. Their involvement shows the global dimension of Armenia’s pursuit of justice and the urgency of addressing Azerbaijan’s crimes.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, founded in 1991 by the UN Human Rights Council, investigates detentions that violate international law and issues recommendations for release, compensation, and accountability.

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