The European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s ongoing human rights violations, called for sanctions against the country’s officials and demanded the immediate release of Armenian captives being held in Baku.
The resolution, which was adopted by a whopping 434 votes in favor, with 30 votes against and 89 abstentions, dealt with the European Parliament’s larger concerns over Azerbaijan’s human rights violations, but contained sections that were devoted solely to Armenians in the post 2020 War era.
“Members of the European Parliament strongly condemned the repression of press freedom and the crackdown on dissent by the Aliyev regime and call on the EU executive to enact targeted sanctions against Azerbaijani officials violating human rights and suspending the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy, further insisting that Azerbaijan must “unconditionally release and drop all charges against human rights defenders, journalists, political and other activists prosecuted under fabricated and politically motivated charges,” the resolution said.
Crucially, the resolution mentioned the 23 Armenian prisoners of war currently being held in Baku, “including leaders of former Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” and called for their immediate release “along with all political prisoners in the country.”
During a preliminary debate on the measure on Wednesday, European lawmakers raised the issue of the Armenian hostages as well as the policies of aggression and violations of human rights directed at the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
European Parliament member Bert-Jan Ruissen called for a “change in [the] approach” of the European Parliament and proposed increased sanctions against Azerbaijan, particularly referencing the “mass expulsion of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“Human rights are systematically violated, Azerbaijan is one of the worst countries when it comes to press freedom, HRW has also documented torture and degrading treatment against prisoners who were detained after the operations in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said another European Parliament member, Marina Mesure, decrying what she called a “policy of repression against the Armenian neighbors.”
“This resolution highlights the necessity for the EU Executive to enact comprehensive and effective measures to dissuade the Aliyev regime from its policies of repression and injustice,” said the president of the European Federation for Justice and Democracy, Kaspar Karampetian.
“The increasing crackdown on opposition figures and journalists and the inhumane conditions under which the political prisoners, including the former leaders of the Nagorno-Karabakh republic and other falsely imprisoned Armenians are detained, represents a violation of the fundamental principles and values of the European Union,” Karampetian added.
“The EAFJD is committed to ensure that these values, evident in the will of the EP with this resolution, are defended and we will continue to highlight the international principles of press freedom, justice and human rights in our actions,” he explained.
The resolution also strongly condemns the ongoing repression of civil society, independent media, and political opposition in Azerbaijan. The resolution highlights the escalating crackdown since 2023, particularly intensified around the United Nations Climate Summit, known as COP29, which was held in Baku last month. The resolution further highlighted the routine violation of prisoners’ human rights, including inhumane detention conditions, torture, and targeted harassment of female political prisoners.
