News - Edmon Marukyan: Any captive’s testimony is considered inadmissible evidence, can’t be used as basis for any charges

The Azerbaijani security officials have been recently sharing videos about the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh who were kidnapped from Stepanakert and are illegally kept in Azerbaijani prisons. Edmon Marukyan, Ambassador-at-Large of Armenia, noted this on X—former Twitter. He added as follows:      “These are the former and current, elected or appointed representatives of the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Apart from the everyday humiliating scenes, the Azerbaijani propaganda also spreads news about the allegedly given testimonies of this or that person.  First of all, I want to state that the testimony of any captured hostage or PoW is considered inadmissible evidence and cannot be used as a basis for any charges, because the Azerbaijani special services obtain these testimonies in gross violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is needless to even say that the hostages themselves  -do not have the opportunity to have a defender of their choice,  -do not have the opportunity to stand before an independent and impartial tribunal established by law,  -do not have the opportunity to have a fair trial,  and if they give any testimony, they give it under the threat of torture and violation of the right to life. All the evidence that is now allegedly obtained from these people is obtained in gross violations of Articles 3, 5, 6, 13, 14 of the ECHR and Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights. Moreover, according to Freedom House the former and current elected leaders of Nagorno Karabakh managed to create a democracy, which was rated Partly Free with 37 score, meanwhile now they are kidnapped and illegally detained and are going through false allegations in Azerbaijan, in a system, which was rated Not Free, with 9 scores, by the Freedom House. Freedom House rates people’s access to political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories through its annual Freedom in the World report. Individual freedoms - ranging from the right to vote to freedom of expression and equality before the law. Therefore, all the propaganda of Azerbaijan regarding all the representatives of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, captured by and illegally imprisoned in the prisons of Azerbaijan, cannot have any credibility. All prisoners of war and hostages, regardless of their political and/or other role, elected or appointed, must be released immediately.”