Bako Sahakyan

Bako Sahakyan is an Armenian political and military figure who served as the third President of the Republic of Artsakh and remains one of the longest-serving heads of state in Artsakh’s history. A native of Stepanakert, Sahakyan became involved in the Artsakh movement and the defense of Artsakh during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the first Artsakh war.

He later built a career in Artsakh’s security institutions. Sahakyan served in senior positions connected to the Defense Army, became Interior Minister and later headed Artsakh’s national security service. His background placed him at the center of the security and state-building structures that emerged after the first Artsakh war.

Sahakyan was elected President of Artsakh in 2007 and remained in office until 2020. During his presidency, Artsakh continued to develop its political institutions, infrastructure and ties with Armenia and the Diaspora while facing recurring Azerbaijani military threats. His tenure included the large-scale Azerbaijani attack of April 2016 and the continuing international negotiations over the conflict. He left office after the 2020 presidential election and remained in Artsakh.

When Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh in September 2023 and forced the population from its homeland, Sahakyan did not leave ahead of the public. He remained in Stepanakert and was later taken hostage by Azerbaijani forces together with Arkadi Ghukasyan and Davit Ishkhanyan. He was transferred to Baku and placed in the mass sham trial of Artsakh’s former leadership.

In 2026, a Baku military court illegally sentenced Sahakyan to 20 years in prison. Azerbaijani law did not allow a life sentence because of his age, while younger co-defendants received life imprisonment on many of the same charges. The Baku Court of Appeals later left the sentence unchanged. Sahakyan remains an illegally held Armenian hostage in Azerbaijan.