On unlawful detention and sham trial of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan

B100179/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on unlawful detention and sham trial of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan

(2025/2596(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on September 19 2023, Azerbaijan resumed its offensive on the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the killing of at least 400 people and the forced exodus of around 100,000 Armenians to Armenia;

B. whereas the authorities of the self-proclaimed "Artsakh republic" have effectively surrendered; whereas all the political institutions of Artsakh were dissolved on the 1st of January 2024;

C. whereas, following the surrender, Azerbaijani forces arrested eight Armenian leaders of the NKR, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Ruben Vardanyan, who now face trials in Baku; whereas, they are charged with terrorism, forming illegal armed groups, and war crimes, and face sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment;

D. whereas, since 2020, Azerbaijan has been destroying, in newly conquered territories, Armenian and Christian historical sites of global importance;

E. whereas the European Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy on July 2022 to double imports of Azeri natural gas to the EU by 2027;

1. Firmly condemns Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, 2023, carried out under the false pretext of an anti-terrorist operation;

2. Stresses that the Armenian leaders should be treated as political prisoners rather than terrorists; calls on Azerbaijani authorities to ensure a fair, transparent trial, uphold the right to choose legal defence counsel, and guarantee that the detainees are not subjected to ill-treatment;

3. Expresses deep concern over the fate of Armenian and Christian cultural heritage in the region; recalls that in the territories seized by Azerbaijan in 2020, Armenian and Christian cultural sites have been systematically destroyed; stresses that the forced mass exodus of Armenians from the region, combined with the destruction of their cultural heritage, constitutes an act of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh;

4. Recalls and condemns Turkey's role in destabilizing the region, including its military support to Baku during the 2020 war and sending Syrian Islamists to fight for Aliyev; stresses that Turkey’s actions contradict EU Member States' interests and worsen regional security; reiterates that, in light of these actions, Turkey’s EU accession path should be terminated;

5. Condemns the EU’s lenient stance toward Azerbaijan's hostile actions against Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan's aggressive position toward France, particularly regarding interference in its internal affairs through support for independence movements and the spreading of disinformation in New Caledonia; underlines that the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on a strategic energy partnership was signed after Azerbaijan's 2020 war, which involved acts of torture, the persecution of Armenians, and the destruction of Armenian and Christian cultural sites;

6. Calls on the EU to stop funding to Azerbaijan, particularly within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant parties.