Red Cross Representative Tells The Armenia Report Baku Office Closure Threatens Armenian Prisoners’ Rights

In an interview with The Armenian Report, Zara Amatuni, representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Armenia, confirmed that the last Red Cross visit to Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan took place in June, and no further visits have occurred since. Amatuni explained that the ICRC office in Baku is expected to close soon at the request of Azerbaijani authorities—a development that severely limits humanitarian support for Armenian captives.

“Naturally, this affects the normal course of our work at the moment. The organization will suspend its activities in Azerbaijan in the near future,” Amatuni told The Armenian Report in an interview. Although discussions with Azerbaijani officials continue, there is no clear agreement on if or how the Red Cross might resume visits in the future. Amatuni also told us, “It is unlikely that the Red Cross will be able to visit Armenian detainees again before the office officially shuts down.”

The Red Cross’s role goes beyond prisoner visits, also covering the search for missing persons and helping their families receive answers about the fate of their loved ones. However, Amatuni confirmed that all these issues remain in the discussion phase in the middle of the current restrictions.

Relatives of Armenian prisoners have been left in deep pain by the halt in Red Cross visits. According to a report by Azatutyun, families were told that the Red Cross would no longer have access to the captives. One relative told Azatutyun, “We, the relatives of all captives in general, were told that the Red Cross will not visit at all, and we have no relations with the captives.”

This development cuts off the only reliable humanitarian link that Armenian prisoners in Baku had with the outside world. The Red Cross was the only organization able to monitor their health, provide necessary clothing and hygiene products, and facilitate video contact with their families. Without this access, captives are left isolated, and their families have no way to learn about their true condition or well-being.

This development takes place as Azerbaijan maintains its occupation of Artsakh, forcing Armenians from their ancestral lands. 

Azerbaijan’s decision to block humanitarian access to Armenian prisoners is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and basic human rights.

The closure of the Red Cross office in Baku and the end of visits to Armenian detainees strip away crucial protections. Without independent monitoring, Armenian captives risk mistreatment, neglect, and suffering in silence. The international community must urgently urge Azerbaijan to respect humanitarian norms and allow full access to humanitarian organizations.

For the families of Armenian prisoners, who have experienced years of pain and uncertainty, the loss of Red Cross visits is a cruel blow that extinguishes their last hope to maintain contact and ensure their loved ones receive humane treatment.

The Armenian captives currently held in Azerbaijan include former leaders of Artsakh, officials, soldiers, and civilians who were taken prisoner during or after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, as well as during Azerbaijan’s offensive in September 2023, which led to the occupation of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh). Many of these individuals were reportedly captured during the forced deportation or during Azerbaijan’s invasion of the ethnic Armenian region. Despite repeated calls by international human rights organizations and Armenian officials, Azerbaijani authorities have not provided comprehensive, transparent information regarding the number, conditions, or legal status of these detainees. Rights groups and international observers have raised concerns that their continued detention violates international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions concerning the treatment of prisoners of war and protection of civilians in armed conflict.

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