World community should exert pressure for release of Artsakh prisoners — Armenian National Committee of Lebanon

The Armenian National Committee of Lebanon has released a statement calling on the world community to exert pressure on Baku.

“Baku’s authorities 37 years ago organized acts of violence, murders and massacres against the Armenians of the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait. Armenians living in Sumgait were killed simply because they were Armenians. Azerbaijan’s policy of extermination of Armenians was not limited to Sumgait alone. The Armenians of Kirovobad, Baku, Maragha and Artsakh suffered the same fate. On February 19, 2004, in Budapest, an Azerbaijani officer attacked a sleeping Armenian officer with an axe and hacked him to death. Baku has committed war crimes in various regions of Artsakh and, having provoked war in Artsakh, first blockaded it and then displaced Armenians from there. Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy continues by destroying the Armenian spiritual, cultural and civilizational heritage in Artsakh. Armenian prisoners are being held in Baku. Their trial is used by Azerbaijan to cover up its own crimes and to bring the same accusations against the Armenian side.

The Armenian National Committee of Lebanon raises awareness about these circumstances to the Lebanese public, emphasizing that Baku must receive international justice for its genocidal policy from Sumgait to Artsakh. The world community should immediately exert pressure to release the Artsakh prisoners, who are subjected to physical and psychological torture,” the statement reads.