Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, who sentenced to life imprisonment by the Baku Military Court, sent an audio recorded message from a prison in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

In the message, Ishkhanyan said that preliminary hearing of their appeals began at the Baku Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

"We appealed the verdict of the Baku Military Court on February 5, the first court hearing is scheduled for June 2.

‘Peace and trial’ is very unique. It is a completely censored, controlled, revenge trial.

Yesterday, one of the important [legal] defenders burst out during his speech, saying: ‘We will be ashamed before generations for organizing such a trial.’

It is a tragicomedy.

The trial is a trial that is protracted and corresponds to political processes.

Back in January-February 2024, when individual [Azerbaijani] officials were communicating with us, they were hinting to us, indirectly making us understand that, ‘You are here [in Azerbaijan] as much as Armenia’s authorities want.’ We were surprised: how could this be, how could our native authorities [of Armenia] not want us to return [to Armenia] immediately? But from today's perspective, everything is clear and understandable, that, sadly, this is the case.

We [i.e. the Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan] have been here for three years. I must say: neither principle, nor common sense, nor strength of spirit and will have abandoned us and have not betrayed us. From now on, it will be like this. We will continue our shared adopted line.

Using this opportunity, I congratulate the Armenian people on the occasion of May 28, wishing [them] strength of spirit, will, and unity," the speaker of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament said in his message.