Azerbaijan denounces Armenian PM's claims on prisoner treatment, trial proceedings

In a strong response to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's interview with Public TV on January 25, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected claims that Azerbaijani authorities had used psychotropic substances against representatives of the separatist regime.

The ministry dismissed the allegations as “a pure mockery,” insisting that they had no basis, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's press service.

"Claims by the Prime Minister of Armenia during his interview to Public TV dated 25 January, about alleged use of psychotropic substances against representatives of the separatist regime aiming at inciting regional escalation, has no ground and is a pure mockery," said Aykhan Hajizada, Head of the Press Service Department of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Hajizada further emphasized that the rights and duties of the accused individuals were fully ensured and explained during legal proceedings.

He also noted that the testimonies were recorded, and any allegations of ill-treatment were thoroughly investigated by independent bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, with no evidence of abuse found.

"All the rights and duties of the accused people are duly ensured and explained, and the court proceedings and testimonies were recorded. Allegations of ill-treatment against prisoners in Azerbaijan had been investigated independently, including by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and had been found to be false," Hajizada added.

The Azerbaijani official expressed concern over what he saw as growing anxiety within Armenia’s political establishment regarding the ongoing trial of individuals accused of war crimes. According to him, Armenia's reaction highlighted the extent to which the country’s leadership continues to support actions of aggression against Azerbaijan.

"Obviously, such a statement from the Armenian side demonstrates how nervous the political establishment of Armenia is about the ongoing trial against the people accused of war crimes once they openly supported by all means to sustain the act and policy of aggression against Azerbaijan," Hajizada said.

He also recalled that Pashinyan, who had recently declared Armenia's recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, had previously congratulated the separatist regime in the occupied Azerbaijani territories on their so-called “independence” in September 2023, just weeks before their representatives were brought to trial.

"No one has forgotten that the Prime Minister of Armenia, who had ostensibly declared that it recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, were propagating the puppet regime it kept in Azerbaijani territories and congratulated the separatist junta regime on the so-called 'independence' on 2 September 2023, several weeks before its representatives were brought into justice by Azerbaijan," Hajizada noted.

Hajizadeh concluded that the legal proceedings against the accused individuals were a matter of justice, asserting that Armenia’s attempts to undermine the trial through political manipulation would not succeed: "Armenia’s state responsibility and other illegal actions as an occupying and aggressive country is a fact that cannot be denied. Thus, holding perpetrators accountable is a just cause that cannot be undermined by political manipulations."

By Khagan Isayev