On February 13, the Paris City Council unanimously adopted a resolution titled “On the concerning situation of former Artsakh leaders detained in Azerbaijan.” At the invitation of the Paris mayor, Armenia's Ambassador to France, Arman Khachatryan, attended the session, according to the Armenian Embassy in France.
The resolution addresses the detention conditions of former Artsakh leaders in Azerbaijan and the politically motivated charges against them. The council condemns their illegal detention and sham trials, demanding their release.
The resolution was presented for a vote by Deputy Mayor Arnaud Ngatcha.
It references Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s visits to Armenia and her unwavering solidarity with the Armenian people, reaffirming the full support of the Paris City Council for Armenia and its citizens.
In September 2023, following a nine-month blockade of Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population, Azerbaijan captured former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, as well as former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, and several other former officials. The fabricated charges against them could result in life sentences. On January 17, a politically motivated trial against the Artsakh leaders began in Baku.
