POW David Ishkhanyan Says Azerbaijani Officials Claim Armenia Is Not Seeking Prisoners’ Return

Former Artsakh National Assembly Speaker David Ishkhanyan, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence handed down by a military court in Azerbaijan, says his appeal has little chance of changing the outcome but remains necessary to eventually bring his case before international courts.

In a statement from Baku prison, Ishkhanyan said the appellate proceedings are largely procedural and that he does not expect the original verdict to be overturned. He said he and his legal team filed the appeal because exhausting Azerbaijan’s domestic legal system is required before pursuing international legal remedies.

Ishkhanyan argued that his prosecution is politically motivated rather than criminal in nature. He said the case is based on ethnic discrimination against Armenians and described it as part of a broader campaign directed against the Armenian people and Armenian statehood.

He also accused the trial court of committing serious violations of Azerbaijan’s criminal procedure code, international law and basic human rights. According to Ishkhanyan, prosecutors and the judge repeatedly interrupted his remarks during the appeal hearing, although he said he was ultimately able to present his arguments.

During his testimony, Ishkhanyan challenged the evidence used against him and the other Armenian defendants, saying the convictions were built on unsupported allegations rather than verifiable facts. He argued that prosecutors applied criminal charges without sufficient evidence and called the case “not a fabricated case, but a patchwork.”

To illustrate his point, Ishkhanyan said one defendant born in 1993 was accused of participating in military operations dating back to 1991 and 1992, years before that individual could have taken part in the events. Despite what he described as that contradiction, he said the defendant was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

He also claimed Azerbaijani officials openly dismiss the possibility of international intervention. According to Ishkhanyan, detainees have been told that if Armenia’s authorities are not actively seeking their return, international courts will be unable to help them.

Ishkhanyan further alleged that authorities are creating procedural obstacles that could affect future appeals. He said defense lawyers still have not received copies of either the indictment or the written verdict and have only been allowed to review the court’s decision electronically. He also said several detainees have been unable since August 2025 to grant legal authority to relatives or human rights representatives because the necessary paperwork has not been processed.

Despite those challenges, Ishkhanyan said he and the other Armenian detainees intend to continue pursuing every available legal avenue.

“We are taking patient and purposeful steps,” he said. “Take care of yourselves and stay strong.”

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