Bring hope to forgotten conflicts
21 March 2025
Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, one of the UK’s most distinguished human rights lawyers, has expressed ‘deep concern’ over the fate of at least 23 Armenian hostages being held in Azerbaijan.
In an open letter letter to the UK Government, he says: “Their continued detention causes immense suffering for the hostages and their families. It also deepens Azerbaijani-Armenian tensions and undermines efforts towards peace and stability in the region. [They] must be released and repatriated without delay.”
Click here to read letter, which is co-signed by Lord Alton of Liverpool, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, and Sam Mason, CEO of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART).
The unlawful detention of ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan
At least 23 ethnic Armenians are arbitrarily detained by the Government of Azerbaijan. The detainees include civilians, soldiers and members of the elected Government of Nagorno Karabakh.
According to Christian Solidarity International (CSI), 16 of the hostages are on trial in Azerbaijan. Their trial conditions do not meet international legal and procedural standards, and the hostages do not have access to impartial legal representation.
Rallying support for the immediate release of all Armenian hostages
The open letter asks Stephen Doughty MP, the Minister of State for Europe, to outline the steps the UK Government will take to ensure Azerbaijan is held accountable to the standards of international humanitarian law.
It emphasises that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) must be allowed to visit the hostages. As a humanitarian actor, the ICRC is the only direct and neutral link between the hostages and the outside world.
The letter follows a European Parliament resolution on the sham trials of Armenian hostages, and a CSI panel discussion at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
HART echoes the call of the European Parliament, CSI, international human rights groups and the captives’ families for the immediate, unconditional and dignified release of all Armenian hostages. All those deprived of liberty must be treated humanely.