Tigran Abrahamyan, Secretary of the "With Honor" parliamentary faction, wrote on Facebook that several developments during the ongoing “show trial” in Baku highlight its illegitimacy.
He noted that Armenians held in Azerbaijan are resisting as much as possible and exposing the frailty of the Azerbaijani allegations.
"During previous hearings, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, and Davit Babayan objected to numerous claims in documents based on interviews, online resources, and social media statements,” Abrahamyan wrote.
He emphasized that while it was always clear Azerbaijan was following a pre-scripted narrative, the resistance shown by the Armenian detainees underscores both the baselessness of the charges and the falsity of the proceedings.
Davit Ishkhanyan reportedly demanded the court present an alleged secret order attributed to former Defense Army commander Kamo Vardanyan, which was read aloud in court but has not been verified with any evidence.
Abrahamyan criticized the Armenian government’s silence, saying it has allowed Azerbaijan to freely fabricate charges against numerous Armenian and Artsakh political and military figures and national movement leaders.
In September 2023, following a nine-month blockade and the forced displacement of the entire Armenian population of Artsakh, 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 other former officials. The fabricated charges they face could result in life imprisonment. The staged trial began in Baku on January 17.
