The lawyers have submitted a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), demanding the immediate release of Vigen Euljeckjian, according to the Free Armenian Hostages Facebook page.

The legal representatives of 46-year-old Armenian tour guide Vigen Euljeckjian, who has been arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan, officially appealed to the UNWGAD, highlighting serious violations of international law and the harsh detention conditions that endanger Euljeckjian’s life.

Euljeckjian was arrested on November 10, 2020, in Shushi (Nagorno-Karabakh), one day after the ceasefire of the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. On June 14, 2021, the Baku Military Court sentenced him to 20 years in prison on charges of “mercenary activity” and “terrorism.” His lawyers argue that his detention and sentencing are arbitrary and violate the protection of fundamental human rights.

The petition, submitted by Maria Luciana Minasyan (Argentina) and Aitor Martinez Jimenez (Spain), presents two main arguments:

  1. Violation of jurisdiction: Azerbaijan treated Euljeckjian as a civilian but tried and sentenced him in a military court, contrary to UNWGAD precedents, which state that military courts have no jurisdiction over civilians.

  2. Misapplication of “mercenary” charges: According to the Geneva Conventions, Euljeckjian, an Armenian citizen, cannot legally be classified as a mercenary.

Additionally, the lawyers requested the recusal of Working Group member Hanna Yudkivska due to potential conflicts of interest arising from her professional and personal ties with Azerbaijan’s state oil company (SOCAR). The petition references expert opinions from Luis Moreno Ocampo, the founding Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and an official complaint submitted by the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) in Los Angeles, which defends the rights of Armenians affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Maria Luciana Minasyan is an Argentine-Armenian lawyer representing Armenian victims, a professor of genocide studies at the University of Tucumán, and a candidate for the Buenos Aires Senate.

Aitor Martinez Jimenez is a Spanish lawyer and professor with extensive experience before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. He has represented Julian Assange and other relevant figures worldwide and has successfully initiated cases against various countries at the UN and other international bodies. Martinez is also a lawyer at the International Criminal Court.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) is an independent body of experts established in 1991 by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to investigate cases in which individuals are deprived of their liberty in violation of international human rights standards. The group issues legal opinions, complaints, and recommendations, including on matters of release and compensation.