One year and more instead of “additional 1-2 months ” of captivity: Pashinyan’s pre-election statement vs. the reality

In June 2021, during the early parliamentary election campaign meeting in Armavir, Nikol Pashinyan, who headed the Civil Contract party’s electoral list, first apologized that the issue of Armenian captives was still unresolved, and said that the captives would be forgiving of staying in Baku prisons for additional 1-2 months.

“You should also realize that today they want to use the issue of captives against our state and our people to impose disproportionate concessions. Yes, these boys are fighting in Baku prisons for Armenia’s independence, for Armenia’s sovereignty, and, yes, they will forgive us for being held captive for a month or two, but they will not forgive us if we give up our country’s independence and sovereignty for their freedom,” Pashinyan stated.

More than a year has passed since Pashinyan’s statement, and citizens of Armenia who were taken captive during the Second Nagorno Karabakh War are still held in Azerbaijan.

According to the latest data, currently 38 identified Armenian citizens are held in Azerbaijan, 3 of whom are civilians. This was announced by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during the special sitting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations.

Thus, it should be noted that more than a year after Nikol Pashinyan raised the issue of captives held in Azerbaijan during the election campaign, several dozen Armenian citizens continue to be held captive in Azerbaijan.

Sevada Ghazaryan

Mher Taroyan