The matter of the release of Armenian captives and hostages being held in Azerbaijan, first of all, implies direct diplomatic and political work. Human rights activist Siranush Sahakyan, the lawyer representing the interests of the Armenian captives in Azerbaijan at the European Court of Human Rights, stated this during a panel discussion Thursday on the Armenian prisoners of war being held in the prisons of Azerbaijani capital Baku.

According to her, the direction of the aforesaid work should be the fact that repatriation after the active end of a conflict is provided for by international conventions.

“This is a war crime, therefore Azerbaijan is under a legal obligation to ensure the release of Armenian hostages without any preconditions. Failure to do so should have led to statements by the authorities of Armenia about war crimes, which is a prerequisite that would serve as a basis for the application of sanctions or other mechanisms,” Sahakyan said.

According to her, however, such an approach is not visible, a tacit working style is adopted, according to which the matter of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan cannot be solved independently with Armenia’s engagement, it is completely left to Azerbaijan’s discretion. And when the acute political issues are resolved, then as a consequence there will be a humanitarian approach, and the Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijan will also be released.

“Meanwhile, I believe there is a need to put pressure on Azerbaijan at all costs, ensure their release, without it, not hold any discussions that may be related to political matters. In our perception, peace and the matter of the return of the [Armenian] captives [in Azerbaijan] have an interrelation. Without the return of the Armenian captives, we cannot count on any peace,” Sahakyan said.