Truth and Justice Center calls on Azerbaijan to allow international lawyers to observe the trials of Armenian prisoners

The Truth and Justice Center has appealed to the Azerbaijani government to allow international lawyers to visit Baku and participate in and observe the trials of Armenian prisoners, which will begin on January 17.

This is reported by Asbarez. These prisoners were illegally held in pretrial detention on trumped-up charges without proper legal representation.

"They have almost no contact with their family members. The presence of international observers in judicial proceedings is necessary in order to hold the Azerbaijani judicial system accountable for what is expected to happen during closed and secret judicial proceedings," said Gor Mnatsakanyan, President of the Truth and Justice Center.

 The report states that trials will begin in Baku against 8 representatives of the former military-political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh, who were subjected to ethnic cleansing as a result of Azerbaijan's 10-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and subsequent military aggression, when 120,000 Armenians were forced to flee to Armenia.

 Among the international observers awaiting Azerbaijani visas to follow the trials are Ana Maria Careaga, director of the Espacio para la Memoria Institute; Claudia Viviana Roca, president of the Argentine Bar Association; Irene Victoria Massimino, lawyer and human rights expert, former rapporteur of the Buenos Aires Criminal Court; and Avi Singh, criminal law specialist.

The Truth and Justice Center has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to take immediate measures to obtain visas for these professionals and ensure their safety during their visit.