The Corsican Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for the immediate release of 19 Armenian prisoners unlawfully held in Azerbaijan, according to the Artsakh Support Association (ASA). The resolution also reaffirms the right of displaced Armenians from Artsakh to return safely, with dignity, and without obstruction to their homeland, in accordance with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The resolution specifically names former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, Generals Levon Mnatsakanyan and Davit Manukyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, along with 11 other Armenian detainees. It characterizes the legal proceedings against them in Baku as arbitrary and inconsistent with international legal standards.
Hovhannes Gevorgyan, the Representative of the Republic of Artsakh in France, said efforts to defend the rights of the people of Artsakh would continue with the support of political parties, civil society organizations, and citizens committed to upholding international law.
The resolution comes nearly three years after the ICJ ordered Azerbaijan to ensure the safe, dignified, and unimpeded return of displaced Armenians from Artsakh. According to ASA, that ruling has yet to be implemented, while the continued detention of Armenian political prisoners in Baku represents a serious violation of international human rights obligations.
ASA expressed its gratitude to the members of the Corsican Assembly and the Core In Fronte political group, which introduced the resolution. According to official figures, 19 Armenian prisoners remain in Azerbaijani custody. Former Artsakh officials have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment. Since the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) closed its Baku office in September 2025, no international humanitarian organization has been able to visit the detainees.
