Petition update 10 March 2022
Dear supporter,
Thank you for actively choosing to support our campaign!
British-Armenian is an independent, non-governmental group of ordinary citizens, with no political affiliation and zero funding from any business, think tank or political forces. We have been campaigning for the release of all Armenian hostages since November 2020 via peaceful protests in London, Open letters and e-mails to world leaders and organizations, meetings with decision makers and press releases to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis of Armenian hostages mistreated or murdered in captivity.
To continue our fight for the rights of Armenian captives, public support and donations are vital. We have created an official fundraiser and highly encourage you to donate: https://bit.ly/3D2gPBK
If you are unable to donate, please continue SHARING the donation and petition links with others.
Thank you for your generosity!
__________________________________________________________
Exactly one year ago, on 10 March 2021, Azerbaijan released innocent civilian Maral Najarian from prison after four months of illegal capture. We had started our Petition for Maral, in January 2021, two months prior to her liberation. Hundreds and thousands of people around the world were shocked by her story, her suffering, and her ordeal in the hands of the Azerbaijani authorities. Maral’s story had a happy ending, thanks to dozens of politicians and individuals who campaigned for her release across countries. Maral’s case reinforced our conviction that the release of Armenian hostages is not a miracle, but justice achieved, which we all - peace-loving citizens of this world - should strive for.
Meanwhile, we still have a long way to: around 150 POWs have been released due to cross-country negotiations, but there are over hundred Armenian hostages still held in Azerbaijani prisons, who are tortured mentally, humiliated psychologically, and abused physically, as witness statements and reports of the Human Rights Ombudsman testify.
Since our last update, two more Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan received long prison sentences following SHAM TRIALS in Baku. On 5 March 2022 the Sabunchi District Court passed the verdict on two Armenian servicemen - Ishkhan Sargsyan and Vladimir Rafaelyan - captured 6 months after the Ceasefire Agreement of 9 November 2020 in the territory of the Republic of Armenia. As all other 60 sham trials of Armenian POWs in summer 2021, Ishkhan Sargsyan and Vladimir Rafaelyan likewise have a lawyer of their choice and were tried under false accusations due to their ethnic origin. Their court statements were obstructed.
Young soldiers Ishkhan Sargsyan and Vladimir Rafaelyan were sentenced to 19 and 18 years of imprisonment, respectively [1]. They will spend nine years in jail and will serve the rest of the term in a high-security penal colony. They will be able to leave Azerbaijan “after serving the sentence.” The two are charged with “terrorism,” and are accused of “illegally crossing the border” on May 27, 2021, and mining the roads in Karvachar region, which came under Azerbaijani control under a trilateral statement of November 9, 2020.
Vladimir Rafaelyan, Ishkan Sargsyan at the Sabunchi District Court on February 28, 2020 Rafaelyan and Sargsyan were among six servicemen captured on 27 May 2021 while fortifying an Armenian army post on the border with Azerbaijan [2]. The incident occurred days after Azerbaijani forces advanced a few kilometers into Armenian territory at several sections of the long border. Baku freed four of those soldiers in June but pressed charges against Sargsyan and Rafaelyan.
Yerevan has rejected the charges as illegal and baseless, saying that the soldiers were taken prisoner on the Armenian side of the frontier in Armenia’s Gegharkunik province [3]. A spokesperson for the Armenian government’s representative to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) noted that it will file more appeals with the Strasbourg-based tribunal in connection with the sentencing of the soldiers. Siranush Sahakyan, a lawyer representing families of Armenian POWs, said the ECHR could order their immediate release if it concludes that they did not receive a fair trial. She said the Azerbaijani authorities fabricated grave accusations against these and other prisoners in order to “cover up their war crimes” committed during the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh [4].
Our demands haven’t changed. With this petition nearly reaching 37.000 signatures, we demand from decision makers of the United Nations, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Council of Europe and their human rights offices to:
1- the urgent release all civilian captives and POWs held illegally by the Azerbaijani authorities;
2- ensure the immediate access of international monitors to all Armenian POWs to provide their families with full accounts on their health and detention conditions;
3- to exercise pressure on the Azerbaijani government to acknowledge the true number of Armenian POWs and captives and to provide the full list of all detainees (alive or dead);
4- condemn Aliyev’s corrupt regime for the mistreatment, physical torture and mental abuse of Armenian hostages and disdainful contempt of the Third Geneva Convention for POWs, human rights conventions and obligations binding the United Nations member states.
With the international media rarely featuring stories about the continuous crisis of Armenian POWs and the incessant ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Artsakh, we consider OUR DUTY to never cease the campaign for justice and freedom.
Our mission is not yet fulfilled; we are not stopping
#UntilTheyAreHome
Thank you and please, CONTINUE SHARING YOUR PETITION!
British Armenian humanitarian group
For questions and additional info about our fundraiser, visit our social media pages:
E-mail: info@britisharmenian.org
Twitter: twitter.com/arm_brit
Facebook: facebook.com/BritishArmenian
Instagram: instagram.com/british_armenian
Support our fundraising initiative here: https://gofund.me/2da11309
[1] https://asbarez.com/2-more-armenian-pows-sentenced-in-azerbaijan/
[2] https://www.azernews.az/nation/188371.html