Armenia Addresses UN Third Committee on Detainees
Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Paruyr Hovhannisyan, has formally placed the situation of 19 Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan on the UN record during the general debate of the General Assembly’s Third Committee, the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN announced. Speaking at the 81st session of the General Assembly, Hovhannisyan framed the detentions as an urgent humanitarian priority that must be addressed alongside ongoing peace consolidation efforts.
The Third Committee handles human rights, social, and humanitarian issues within the UN structure. During his address, Hovhannisyan emphasized that resolving these humanitarian matters—including the 19 detainees, missing persons cases, and enforced disappearances—is essential for building trust and regional reconciliation. He also reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to strengthening international human rights mechanisms and accountability frameworks.
Detention and Sentencing Timeline
The 19 Armenian detainees are currently held at the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex in the Qaradag district of Baku. Sixteen of these individuals have received prison sentences following proceedings in the Baku Military Court. Among them are eight former political and military leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) who were detained by Azerbaijani forces in September 2023 amid the mass displacement of over 120,000 ethnic Armenians.
Legal proceedings concluded earlier in 2026 resulted in severe sentences. On February 5, 2026, the Baku Military Court sentenced former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, former National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, and former deputy commander Davit Manukyan to life imprisonment. Former Artsakh Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20-year terms. Former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan was tried separately and sentenced to 20 years on February 17, 2026. Amnesty International has characterized these legal proceedings and resulting verdicts as a travesty of justice.
Recent Prison Disclosures and International Isolation
Hovhannisyan’s statement at the UN follows a series of disclosures regarding conditions inside the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex. On October 1, former Foreign Minister David Babayan released an audio statement alleging that the Baku appellate court’s ruling was largely copied from the initial verdict and that his defense counter-arguments were censored from the record. On September 16, Ruben Vardanyan issued a public appeal to Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner Sabina Aliyeva, citing alleged violations of domestic legal standards in the treatment of the detainees.
Additionally, attorney Siranush Sahakyan stated in a September 4 press briefing that detainees had suffered severe mistreatment, including physical abuse resulting in fractures and alleged torture. Independent oversight of the detainees remains absent following Azerbaijan’s expulsion of the International Committee of the Red Cross in September 2025. International legal bodies, including the International Court of Justice, previously issued binding provisional measures ordering Azerbaijan to ensure safe conditions and allow the return of displaced persons, directives that remain unfulfilled.