September 20, 2026 Azerbaijan provided the ECHR with some medical documents, but they were incomplete and included no photographs showing the Armenian prisoners’ actual condition, human rights advocate and representative of Armenian prisoners before the ECHR Siranush Sahakyan said. The medical documents are based on examinations conducted at local penitentiary institutions and do not reflect information known from other sources, Sputnik Armenia reports. The European Court of Human Rights ordered Azerbaijan to submit by Aug. 31, 2026, a report on the prisoners’ detention conditions, health and judicial proceedings. The Azerbaijani side, however, complied with the requirement in September. Representatives of the prisoners in individual cases, as well as the Armenian government within the framework of an interstate case, received from the ECHR the documents submitted by the Azerbaijani side. According to Sahakyan, Azerbaijan did not provide the judgments, submitting instead an extract that did not contain the information requested by the court. “Azerbaijan also did not provide the ECHR with photographs showing the actual condition of the Armenian prisoners. Sahakyan considers this highly concerning, given that such photographs, although few in number, had previously been submitted. I can say that insofar as some information has been provided, it mainly concerns health, but how complete it is and to what extent the doctors conducting the examinations acted independently and objectively are matters open to discussion,” Sahakyan said. According to her, the information was passed on to family members, and with their assistance they reconstructed the actual picture and will submit their observations to the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights has given the Armenian side until Oct. 6 to examine the documents submitted by Azerbaijan and provide its observations on the information contained in them. The human rights advocate said the observations to be submitted to the ECHR and the issues raised have been numerous and will increase further. The European court may then request additional information from Azerbaijan. The court may also establish that the obligation to submit the report was not fulfilled or was improperly fulfilled. On Sept. 18, it became known that former Artsakh State Minister, businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan had issued a public appeal to Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner Sabina Aliyeva. She had earlier expressed readiness to assist in protecting the rights of Armenian prisoners. Commenting on Vardanyan’s appeal, Siranush Sahakyan said that the issues raised by Armenian prisoners not only in this appeal but in all their other messages concerned human rights. According to her, Azerbaijan, presenting itself as a country with democratic aspirations, has incorporated those rights and made the corresponding safeguards part of its domestic law. The responsibility for overseeing their observance rests with Azerbaijan’s human rights commissioner. “I would particularly like to emphasize the absolute isolation. On the one hand, the conditions described result in the Armenian prisoners being completely isolated from the outside world, causing psychological and physical problems. This is compounded by the lack of medical care, and under such conditions deliberate harm is caused to these individuals’ health, while, on the other hand, the minimum elements related to humane treatment are not respected,” Sahakyan said. She stressed that Ruben Vardanyan’s audio message documents the situation. According to Sahakyan, in the absence of relevant information, international partners cannot formulate positions or exert pressure on Azerbaijan. According to official data, there are 19 Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan, 16 of whom have been sentenced. Former Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan and former deputy Defense Army commander Davit Manukyan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison. The “case” of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan was heard in separate proceedings. On Feb. 17, it became known that a Baku court had sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. Civilian prisoners Madat Babayan and Melkiset Pashayan were sentenced to 19 years in prison, Garik Martirosyan to 18 years, Davit Alahverdyan and Levon Balayan to 16 years, and Erik Ghazaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan and Vasily Beglaryan to 15 years.