Baku aims to downplay legal aspect of captives issue - International law expert

International law specialist Taron Simonyan believes that the issue of the release of Armenian prisoners of war is a priority for Armenia, as Azerbaijan seeks to minimize the legal component of the issue in every possible way to weaken Armenia's position.

 “Everyone is aware that Armenia is strong in the legal field and can effectively protect its interests. Realizing this, Azerbaijan is pursuing two strategies during the sham trials, which are part of a broader effort to use the Azerbaijani factor against Armenian interests. One of these strategies is domestic, meaning the trials serve the interests of Azerbaijan’s ruling elite and thereby strengthen its position.

This is presented as a 'Nuremberg Trial,' but in reality, the process concerns an entirely different issue. In fact, the state that committed genocide and war crimes is conducting a trial against its victims,” Simonyan said.

He noted that the second strategy involves targeting the Armenian identity, the Armenian people, and Nagorno-Karabakh through the trials. In other words, Azerbaijan aims to achieve multiple objectives with a single legal process, following a comprehensive strategy with small tactical steps.

“The theme that our compatriots joined a criminal organization, with the Republic of Artsakh being considered such an organization, runs throughout the indictment presented by Baku. Even basic legal knowledge is enough to see, with the naked eye, that the charges against our compatriots are fabricated.

There is no cause-and-effect relationship in the testimonies of any witness; even the most elementary legal logic has been disregarded. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan is targeting Artsakh in this manner and wants to eliminate its existence by any means, seeking to legally solidify what they have already done on the ground,” the international law specialist noted.

Simonyan also pointed out that the OSCE has become a target for Azerbaijan, as the Minsk Group, based on UN Security Council resolutions, was established to resolve the Artsakh issue.

“Azerbaijan is trying to lay the groundwork for future legal proceedings against Armenia through trumped-up trials. One of the ultimate goals of this process is to shift the burden of responsibility onto Armenia, arguing that if the NKR does not exist, then the Republic of Armenia must bear full responsibility.

"The Azerbaijani side will attempt to initiate further political processes against Armenia, presenting additional demands. Baku will try to find conventions that would allow them to bring the facts allegedly established in domestic trials to international forums, burdening Armenia with additional demands—despite the fact that no such legal mechanisms exist, either in theory or practice," Simonyan said.