Davit Babayan from  Baku prison: We are sitting, but not kneeling

ArmInfo. Former Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan, who is in Azerbaijani captivity,  has appealed  to all human rights activists and people of good will.  The audio message was transmitted to NEWS.am through  David Babayan's  family.

Here is the text of the appeal, slightly abridged:  "Dear  compatriots, dear friends, sisters and brothers, Armenians around the  world, all our sisters and brothers of other nationalities, and  people of good will: you know that the appeal phase of our so-called  trial has also ended. What trial? This was a theater, the script of  which was written in advance. They did not even dare to correct  elementary mistakes. For example, during the presentation of those in  attendance at the final court session—where they upheld the previous  verdicts—they listed my defense counsel using the old roster, even  though my lawyers had changed repeatedly throughout the trial. In  other words, not only did they fail to verify the facts, but they  also lacked the courage to alter their pre-written script, leaving  glaring errors intact. This was purely a formal stage we had to  endure so that we could later use it to appeal to an international  court.

In the Azerbaijani Court of Appeals, ordinary citizens did not  participate in the proceedings. By contrast, during the court of  first instance, about 200 to 300 people were brought in for each  session, selectively transported in special buses and reportedly  well-paid. But this time, no one was there. One of the reasons is  that these people witnessed the blatant abuses being committed, the  weakness of the prosecution's case, our steadfast self-defense, and  our persistence. Naturally, the reality of all this inevitably  penetrates their own society.

It is remarkable how absurd the narratives being circulated have  become—things that are simply beyond imagination. For instance, a  crime committed by a single individual is automatically attributed to  everyone.  Moreover, they introduced legal charges and added two life  imprisonment articles to my case that had never existed or even been  mentioned during the entire trial. I only discovered this a week  after the proceedings concluded, when we were finally provided with  the written summary. I asked them to review our statements—whether  from the closing arguments in the court of first instance or the main  remarks of this trial—and to provide video footage to their own human  rights defender, but they refused. They claim it is an 'open trial,'  yet they refuse to share the documentation or recordings even with  their own human rights ombudsman.

One of the most notable phenomena is the constant turnover of defense  attorneys; five to six lawyers have been replaced during this period.  One was substituted right at the start of the appeal trial. When I  inquired about the reason, I was told it was due to health issues. In  court, I requested, 'Contact them via video call; I want to check on  them personally.' Naturally, they were completely perplexed, refused  to connect me, and merely stated that there was no risk to their  lives.

Another noteworthy development is that one of the defense attorneys  stated they do not want the case to reach an international court  because more than 95% of the accusations are fabricated and  completely baseless. That is genuinely the case. Let me give a  specific example: I was sentenced to life imprisonment under an  article of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code alleging that I tried to  overthrow the government and constitution here. I posed a question to  the court: "Is there any evidence that, while I was here, I  participated in a struggle for power? If so, I must have had  supporters and organizational cells throughout your country.  Naturally, there was no answer.

Furthermore, all of our appeals in the appellate court—100% of  them—were ruled in favor of the prosecution. In the court of first  instance, the figure was 99.4%. I expressed my gratitude for such a  staggering volume and quality of judicial errors, as this is  immensely important for us and will contribute to the restoration of  justice when we submit all of this to an international court."

David Babayan also noted that he is facing health issues, which he  formally addressed in court, requesting that his condition be placed  on the record.

"Of course, it is understandable that they will not want me to go to  an international court. I am not the only one struggling with health  problems; a number of our friends also face serious health concerns.  To some extent, this is to be expected, because we are fighting for  justice, freedom, and human rights in this harsh world, and such  things do not come easily. It is one thing to fight for justice, and  quite another to sit in prison for it. But know that although we are  behind bars, we are not on our knees—let everyone understand that.  Everything else is normal. Be strong, dear compatriots and people of  good will; difficult trials still await our homeland," Babayan  concluded.