MP Tigran Abrahamyan from the I Have Honor faction addressed the closure of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Baku during parliamentary statements, noting that it has changed the situation concerning captives, political hostages, and missing persons.
"The closure of the ICRC's Baku office has created a new situation regarding captives, political hostages, and missing persons," he said, as reported by Panorama.am .
He reminded that for years, ICRC representatives had the opportunity to visit Armenians held in Azerbaijan, monitor their conditions, ensure contact with their families, and work on identifying missing persons.
"Although Azerbaijan has confirmed the captivity of only 23 Armenians, various sources indicate that nearly 80 Armenians are currently held in Azerbaijan. While the ICRC's office officially ceased operations on September 3, this was not a surprise, as it had been discussed for some time. Still, this has had no impact on the actions or political will of the Armenian authorities," Abrahamyan stated.
The MP questioned what steps the authorities are taking to resolve the issue of detainees, to prevent Armenia from being targeted through fake trials, to protect the rights of the captives, and to organize their return.
He added that the authorities' actions have been limited to "pathetic statements and meaningless texts."
"Aside from pathetic words and occasional formal and meaningless statements, there’s nothing else. Even the infamous November 9, 2020, document contained provisions on the return of captives and prisoners of war, yet there’s nothing about this in the so-called historic and unprecedented Washington agreements. There was contradictory information about efforts led personally by the U.S. President to clarify the fate of Armenians, but those efforts went nowhere. On humanitarian issues, the U.S. President has appealed several times to the President of Belarus, requesting the release of specific individuals from prison, which led to the release of several dozen people.
Why isn’t the same process being applied to Armenians held in Azerbaijan, especially when, at least on the surface, the Azerbaijani and U.S. Presidents maintain warm relations? Is it not becoming clear that Armenia’s government is not showing interest, does not consider this issue a priority, and allows Azerbaijan to use it as a political bargaining chip to extract concessions from Armenia? Yes, that is exactly what’s happening. Armenia’s leadership seeks documents that provide hope, optimism, and illusions—documents that it can half-heartedly present as peace, even though they do not contain real guarantees for Armenia’s interests, sustainable security, or long-term stability. The government acts according to its daily political agenda, with its main goal being its own continuation in power," Abrahamyan said.
The head of the I Have Honor faction, Hayk Mamijanyan, recalled that according to 2023 data, more than 2,400 prisoners were registered in Armenia. He emphasized that the initiative for amnesty must come from the Prime Minister, while Parliament only debates the draft law once it is submitted.
Mamijanyan noted that the primary goal of imprisonment is the resocialization of the individual, their reintegration into society, and correction, not mere punishment.
He added that hundreds of people in prisons have been deprived of the opportunity to be with their families, and their children have been deprived of parental care. At the same time, the labor market has lost workforce. He specifically pointed out that his statement was not limited to political prisoners.
"There are currently over 30 political prisoners in Armenia—people whose only 'crime' is patriotism, and they should be released immediately. But this speech is not about them," Mamijanyan said.
He stressed the urgency of addressing the issue of amnesty and demanded that the government immediately launch this process and submit it for parliamentary debate.
"You are doing nothing effective to bring our men back from captivity in Baku. But this issue is entirely in your hands—let’s see what you’ll do," Mamijanyan said, addressing the ruling party.
According to a decision by the Azerbaijani government, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ceased its operations in Azerbaijan as of September 3, 2025. It was announced that "the Azerbaijani authorities will ensure communication between detainees and their families." Siranush Sahakyan, legal representative of Armenian captives in the European Court of Human Rights, stated that there have been suicide attempts among Armenian detainees held in Baku prisons.
On September 2, Linda Euljekjian, the wife of Armenian captive Vicken Euljekjian held in Azerbaijan, reported that her husband had been on a hunger strike for 20 days in a Baku prison. She appealed to the international community and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, warning that her husband's life is in danger, he is wasting away, and urgently needs medical attention.
