French Lawmakers Demand Release of Armenian Prisoners Held in Baku
A new resolution submitted to the French National Assembly on Tuesday demands that Azerbaijan release Artsakh leaders and other captives currently being detained in Baku, and supports Armenia’s engagement in peace efforts with Azerbaijan. The resolution also calls for the establishment of a strategic partnership between France and Armenia.
The measure’s co-authors, Laurent Wauquiez and Alexandra Martin, highlighted Armenia’s determined engagement in a peace process with Azerbaijan following the end of hostilities in the fall of 2023, noting that Armenia has pursued reconciliation in line with international law and with a sincere commitment to regional stability.
The authors stressed that any future peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be based on the principles of sovereignty, inviolability of borders, non-use of force, the right of displaced persons to return, and protection of ethnic and religious minorities.
Despite peace efforts, the resolution expresses deep concern over the fate of displaced Armenian populations from Artsakh and, more urgently, the situation of former political, military, and civilian leaders of the region. These individuals are currently held in Azerbaijani custody, reportedly without guarantees of fair trials, in violation of the Geneva Conventions and fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
The resolution underscores France’s historic and political role as a close friend of Armenia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a key actor in the European Neighborhood Policy. As such, France bears the responsibility to support Armenia’s peace efforts and to develop a strategic partnership with Yerevan, grounded in shared democratic values, human rights, security, and sustainable development.
The document also urges France to speak out firmly for the immediate release of Artsakh’s political prisoners, noting that their continued arbitrary detention is seen as a perpetuation of suffering and injustice and a deliberate obstacle to regional reconciliation.
It calls for the establishment of an independent international investigation under the auspices of the United Nations or other competent bodies into the conditions of detention and the legal treatment of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, and urges accountability for violations of international humanitarian law.
The resolution argues that the ongoing trials of these Armenian detainees are part of a broader strategy by Azerbaijan to erase the very existence of Armenia. This policy, it says, extends beyond incarceration to include the systematic eradication of the Armenian population from Artsakh and the destruction of Armenian historical, cultural, and religious heritage in territories under Azerbaijani control.
