Member of the European Parliament Loucas Fourlas (Cyprus) urges to stop the sham trial of Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan.
“I call on the European Commission to make a substantial contribution to the release of the POWs,” he said in a Twitter post.
Stop the sham trial of the Armenian prisoners of war being held captive by Azerbaijan. I call on the EU @EU_Commission to make a substantial contribution to the release of the PWOs. @armembbelgium @MFAofArmenia @eafjd @OmbudsArmenia
— Loucas Fourlas, MEP (@loucas_fourlas) June 17, 2021
The trial of 14 Armenian POWs started in Baku on Wednesday, on June 16.
Fake criminal cases have been brought against Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan.
Last week Azerbaijan sentenced Lebanese Armenian Viken Euljekian to 20 years in prison.
Euljekjian is falsely accused of being recruited by Armenia to fight in the Artsakh war, and has been falsely charged with terrorist activities against Azerbaijan.
The Lebanese-Armenian will spend five years in jail, and will spend the rest in a correctional facility.
Viken Euljekian was captured along with Maral Najarian near Shushi after the signing of the trilateral statement on ceasefire.
Maral Najarian was released in March after spending four months in captivity.
Armenian Human Rights Defender has on different occasions called attention to the fact that the trials of the Armenian captives in Azerbaijan are a gross violations of international law.
“These trials contradict the foundations of international law, grossly violate the rights of prisoners and the missing, their families, and openly politicize humanitarian issues,” Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan says.