Suicide attempts among the Armenian prisoners held in Baku

Some of the prisoners held in the prisons of Baku have attempted suicide. Siranush Sahakyan, head of the “Center for International and Comparative Law” informed about this during an interview with news outlets.

           According to the human rights defender, the deterioration of the prisoners' psychological state has been noted during recent conversations with relatives. “There is a great disappointment, a loss of trust in the processes. In such harsh conditions, questions arise about the meaning of life. The difficult psychological state also leads to suicidal situations, and there are already cases when such actions are attempted," said Sahakyan in an interview with Sputnik Arena.

In the interview with "Azatutyun" Sahakyan did not open parentheses, only informed that those who attempted suicide were not among the military-political leadership of Artsakh, but among other prisoners. She also emphasized that such attempts occurred after the cessation of Red Cross visits, which shows a direct connection between the cessation of Red Cross activities, isolation and human suffering. "The hopelessness is deepening, Armenian prisoners have found themselves in complete isolation," said human rights activist.

Although the ICRC Baku office has been closed since September 3, visits to the Armenian hostages and humanitarian activities have been suspended even earlier. The last visit was in June of this year. “As a result, Armenians are without external international control. Their physical and psychological condition is not subject to direct observation, and there is generally no verifiable information about their living conditions, health status, and other issues. These uncertainties, as well as the absolute isolation from the outside world, have created a difficult psychological state,” noted Siranush Sahakyan.

Let us recall that the International Committee of the Red Cross has suspended its activities in Baku at the request of the Azerbaijani authorities.

Discussing the issue of prisoners in the context of the recently signed peace agreement, Sahakyan expressed confidence that the Armenian prisoners held in Baku prisons will not be released at this stage, since Azerbaijan will take that step only at the final stage of signing the peace agreement, and the prisoners will continue to remain in Baku prisons as hostages in order to advance Azerbaijani preconditions: “Yes, I think that they will be released close to the ratification stage, when the peace process enters its final stage.”