The Armenian Foreign Ministry said the “arbitrary arrests” run counter to Baku’s pledges to respect the rights of Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population and embark on dialogue with its representatives.
“The Republic of Armenia will take all possible steps to protect the rights of illegally arrested representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, including in international courts,” it said in a statement.
It noted that the Armenian government already asked the International Court of Justice on September 28 to issue an injunction banning such “punitive actions” against Karabakh leaders.
“We also call on international partners to … address the issue both on a bilateral level with Azerbaijan and on various international platforms,” added the statement.
Karabakh’s three former presidents -- Arayik Harutiunian, Bako Sahakian and Arkadi Ghukasian -- as well as current parliament speaker Davit Ishkhanian were taken to Baku to face grave criminal charges on Tuesday. Their detentions followed the mass exodus of Karabakh’s residents that left the enclave almost fully depopulated less than two weeks after Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in the region.
Karabakh’s former premier Ruben Vardanyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former army commander Levon Mnatsakanian and his ex-deputy Davit Manukian were arrested by Azerbaijani security forces last week while trying to enter Armenia through the Lachin corridor.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected the Armenian criticism and defended the arrests, saying they “serve to restore justice.” It said the jailed Karabakh leaders promoted separatism, organized “terrorist acts” and participated in “aggression against Azerbaijan.”
The arrests also raised more question about Russia’s peacekeeping mission in Karabakh which many in Armenia now regard as a gross failure. Karabakh’s political and military leadership has long been known for its pro-Russian views.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, indicated on Wednesday that the Armenian government did not ask Moscow to help free the jailed Karabakh leaders. “Nobody has appealed to us officially or unofficially,” Zakharova told reporters.
“One should first of all remember that Karabakh’s former leaders are citizens of Armenia and one of them had renounced Russian citizenship,” she said, referring to Vardanyan, a billionaire businessman who relocated to Karabakh a year ago.