Siranush Sahakyan, the lawyer representing the Armenian prisoners’ interests at the European Court of Human Rights, gave an interview to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Ms. Sahakyan, the farcical judicial proceedings against Armenian prisoners in [Azerbaijani capital] Baku appear to be continuing. According to Azerbaijani media, Arkady Ghukasyan gave testimony yesterday that is difficult to consider credible. Additionally, hearings were held two days ago in the case of Ruben Vardanyan. Could you share any information or insights you have regarding these recent sessions?

If it is possible to obtain some alternative information regarding Ruben Vardanyan through a private lawyer appointed by his family, unfortunately, no such opportunity exists in the cases of the others. Naturally, the testimonies attributed to Arkady Ghukasyan—or to anyone else—cannot be considered credible, either by us or by any trustworthy institution. The court sessions are conducted behind closed doors, without the presence of independent media or qualified observers, and there is no access to unbiased or verifiable information. The only source present is an employee of the state-run news agency Azertaj, who provides filtered and heavily distorted reports.

Incidentally, the fact that the media is misrepresenting what took place in the courtroom was also confirmed by Ruben Vardanyan’s private lawyer, Abraham Berman. According to the information he conveyed to Vardanyan’s family following the most recent session, the lawyer personally addressed the issue at the very start of the hearing, drawing the court’s attention to the local media’s distortion of facts.

The lawyer clarified that the defense had not, as reported by the media, requested the court to withhold the session recordings. On the contrary, they had demanded access to the official transcripts of the hearings and the corresponding audio recordings—none of which have been provided in full to this day. As you can appreciate, this is an entirely different matter. Furthermore, the lawyer warned that if the dissemination of distorted reports by the media continues, it could give rise to legal proceedings. Unsurprisingly, Azerbaijani media failed to report this part of the session. This omission is a clear indication that the already deeply flawed judicial process is being deliberately misrepresented.

Ruben Vardanyan’s lawyer also reaffirmed his decision not to participate in the interrogation, emphasizing that this step was taken as a form of protest against the illegality of the trial proceedings.

Yesterday, the French newspaper Le Figaro published a strongly worded statement from French lawyers and the presidents of the French Bar Associations, calling on European countries not to turn a blind eye and to take decisive action against Azerbaijan for its blatant violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. They emphasized that Europe cannot remain silent in the face of this judicial scandal and characterized the so-called “trials” of Armenian prisoners as a manifestation of “institutionalized dictatorship.” Are you familiar with this statement?

Yes, I am familiar with the statement and fully share the concerns expressed in it. The stance taken by the French lawyers is commendable, and it would be important for bar associations from other member states of the Convention to issue similar statements. Indeed, the credibility of Europe as a defender of fundamental human rights is at stake, as one of the signatory countries is brazenly violating the very provisions of the Convention. Mere condemnations by European institutions are no longer sufficient—what is urgently needed now is concrete action, particularly in the form of sanctions.