The trial of the military-political leadership of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and other Armenian prisoners continued Tuesday. Armenian News-NEWS.am posed several questions related to the trial to lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, the representative of Armenian prisoners of war at the European Court of Human Rights.

Ms. Sahakyan, yesterday, the trial of the military-political leadership of Artsakh and other prisoners continued. They are trying to ensure the formal appearance of the trial, and testimonies from Arayik Harutyunyan are being published. Azerbaijani media also reported that the lawyers have filed a motion to replace their clients’ prison detention with house arrest. However, it has not been clarified what house arrest means in the case of the Armenian prisoners. How do you assess all of these developments?

This process will not be accepted or recognized as legitimate by any other entity except Azerbaijan, and the judicial acts will also be considered illegitimate. This is an artificial process. We are dealing with fabricated trials, the main goal of which is to punish the Artsakh leadership for the activities carried out in the name of Artsakh statehood. Through these individuals, they condemn Artsakh's right to self-determination and those involved in this process. The humiliations are directed not only at the political prisoners, but at the entire Armenian people. As for the testimonies, we should also bear in mind that they are extracted under threat of life, written by special services, and forced on Armenian hostages and captives.

As for yesterday's motions to replace the prison detention with house arrest, we are still trying to make sense of this request.

Ms. Sahakyan, you and a number of Armenian human rights organizations appealed to international organizations and ambassadors to Azerbaijan, calling for the constant monitoring of the judicial process. Do you have information on whether foreign diplomats in Baku or representatives of international organizations are participating in the trial?

We are still receiving responses. We will make the information public after it has been finalized. But, there are already documented cases where human rights defenders have applied to Azerbaijan and requested entry permits to attend court hearings but were not granted entry visas.

A limited number of Azerbaijani media outlets attend the court sessions, publishing content that is nearly identical. Do you have any additional information?

According to the information I have received from Ruben Vardanyan's family, which was conveyed to them through his lawyer in Azerbaijan, Avraam Berman, Ruben Vardanyan declared himself not guilty during the very first hearing.

Vardanyan also proposed a minute of silence to honor the memory of the victims of the conflict, regardless of nationality. The judge noted that such a thing is not provided for by the legislation. Vardanyan then submitted two motions: to merge the cases and to provide additional time to familiarize himself with the case materials. The Azerbaijani media outlets have only reported about the motions.