French newspaper Le Figaro published article about Armenian POWs and  detainees in Baku

ArmInfo. The French newspaper Le Figaro published an article about Armenian prisoners held in Baku,  noting that a year after the end of hostilities, prisoners of war, including eight former high-ranking officials of Artsakh, continue to be illegally held in Baku prisons.

"They have been in custody for a year now and are awaiting trial,  which has not yet taken place. 23 Armenian prisoners of war are  awaiting a decision on their fate in Baku prisons," the newspaper  notes.  According to a message received by ArmInfo from the Free  Armenian Prisoners team, the lawyers condemn Azerbaijan for the  complete lack of access to their clients, who are illegally held  captive. The only source of information for the prisoners' families   is the International Committee of the Red Cross. "It was through the  Red Cross that we learned that they had been isolated for 10 months.  The latest news is that our POWs are currently sharing their cells  with other prisoners," Hovhannes Gevorgyan, Artsakh's representative  in France, told Le Figaro. 

According to him, there have been several  international calls for  the release of the POWs. Specifically, California MP Laura Friedman  and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made a call for their release last week.   Three months after their arrest, over 150 international dignitaries,  including Nobel Peace Prize laureates, former presidents and  international company directors, have urged President Ilham Aliyev to  release the Armenian POWs, who were unlawfully arrested.  "No one at  the state level is truly involved in resolving this issue. As for the  legal level, we know that this will be a farce, because Azerbaijan  does not administer justice even to its own citizens," Hovhannes  Gevorgyan emphasized.  In this regard, Ruben Vardanyan's son, David   Vardanyan, expressed hope that the upcoming COP29 conference, which  will be held in Azerbaijan in November, will provide an opportunity  to raise this issue.  "The world, in my opinion, cannot accept such a  complete and blatant disregard for international norms," the article  concludes.

The article also emphasizes that under the current circumstances,  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is negotiating a peace  agreement with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Additionally, in  December 2023, Armenia released the last prisoners of war. "In  response to a question from the BBC Russian Service, the Armenian  government assured that the return of Armenian prisoners of war,  civilians and leaders is a top priority and is always in the  spotlight of the Armenian Foreign Ministry," the report says.

However, Ruben Vardanyan's lawyer Jared Genser is skeptical about the  statements made by the Armenian authorities, doubting their efforts  to release the prisoners. According to him, their fate is not even  mentioned in the negotiations. In June of this year, the lawyer filed  a complaint-appeal to the UN about the "torture" occurring in  Azerbaijan. The appeal describes the restrictions on sitting,  sleeping and drinking water that the prisoners faced during the  hunger strike.