A group of British Members of Parliament has called on the UK government to exert pressure on Azerbaijan for the release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku. Jessica Morden, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Armenia, alongside vice-chairs John Whittingdale, Chris Lowe, and Lord Mark McInnes, addressed their concerns in a formal letter, urging immediate action. Morden shared details of the appeal on her X microblog.
In their letter, the MPs strongly condemned the prolonged imprisonment and trials of 23 Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan. They called on British ministers to take decisive steps to secure their release, highlighting serious concerns over their treatment and lack of legal protections.
“There is great concern, including from relatives of prisoners and from the diaspora in the UK, about the lack of independent legal assistance for prisoners, physical and psychological torture, and the ban on international organizations and media representatives from following the trials,” the letter states.
The MPs also raised alarms over Azerbaijan’s broader crackdown on press freedom and international organizations, citing the suspension of BBC News Azerbaijani and Voice of America in Baku, allegedly under orders from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. They further condemned the suspension of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Azerbaijan and the reported threats to expel numerous UN agencies.
“Family members of the prisoners tell us that they are in almost complete isolation and rarely contact their relatives,” the letter adds.
Special Concern for Ruben Vardanyan
Particular concern was expressed over the health of Ruben Vardanyan, a former high-profile Armenian official, who recently ended a hunger strike that lasted nearly a month. His deteriorating condition has raised fears about the overall treatment of Armenian detainees in Baku.
The MPs urged the UK government to take several measures, including:
- Sending British Embassy representatives in Baku to visit the 23 Armenian prisoners.
- Pressuring Azerbaijan to allow the ICRC to resume its operations and conduct prisoner welfare visits.
- Calling for the immediate restoration of BBC News Azerbaijani’s operations in Baku.
- Ensuring international monitoring of the ongoing trials?
