Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Supreme Spiritual Council issued a statement, noting that "through sham trials and false testimonies obtained under torture from Armenian captives, the Azerbaijani authorities endeavor to secure verdicts that will serve their insidious and far-reaching objectives, laying the groundwork for further coercion and aggression against Armenia and the Armenian people.”

The Supreme Spiritual Council, convened at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under the presidency of Catholicos Karekin II, having reflected upon the fabricated trials conducted in Azerbaijan against the political leadership, military personnel, and civilian individuals of Artsakh, issued the following statement:

“The acts perpetrated against the Armenian prisoners and hostages unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan are further manifestation of the ongoing enmity and aggression of the Azerbaijani authorities against the Armenian people and the Republic of Armenia.

It is evident that the trials, conducted in blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international law, are accompanied by the torture and inhumane treatment of the captives. The undisguised objective of this process is to distort the history of the realization of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, with the ulterior intent of degrading our nation and the Armenian state. By disregarding the appeals and demands of the international community, the Azerbaijani authorities seek not only to conceal but also to justify the undeniable facts of the genocide and war crimes they have unleashed, while simultaneously attempting to portray the victims as criminals.

Through these sham trials and the false testimonies obtained under torture from Armenian captives, the Azerbaijani authorities endeavor to secure verdicts that will serve their insidious and far-reaching objectives, laying the groundwork for further coercion and aggression against the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people. Simultaneously, every effort is being made to obstruct visits by international legal representatives and organizations to the Armenian captives. They are also deprived of even the most basic opportunities for spiritual care.

In these circumstances, we emphasize the utmost importance of uniting the efforts of the state institutions of Armenia and pan-Armenian organizations to bring an end to the illegal actions, accompanied by violence against the Armenian prisoners and hostages, and to secure their immediate release.

We urge the authorities of Armenia to initiate effective and highly visible measures, utilizing all available resources and the full potential of both Armenian and international institutions to achieve this objective.

We also call upon the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, as well as international organizations mandated to protect human rights and their respective heads, to implement more decisive measures against Azerbaijan to ensure the immediate repatriation of Armenian captives.

A stable and enduring peace in the region, as well as conditions for the dignified coexistence of future generations, can only be achieved through the just resolution of the existing issues and the realization of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh.

We offer our prayers and express our support to our beloved sons in captivity, exhorting them to refrain from protest actions that may pose an immediate threat to their lives and well-being. We urge our beloved Ruben Vardanyan to end his hunger strike and to continue the struggle for the right to a free and dignified life with steadfast faith.”