Awarding of the Hessian Peace Prize to the Armenian Prime Minister: Respect the Rights of Those Displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh

On the occasion of the awarding of the Hessian Peace Prize to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on September 18, 2026, in the Hessian State Parliament, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), together with four other organizations, is today issuing an appeal to the President of the State Parliament, the members of the Hessian State Parliament, and the Board of Trustees of the Hessian Peace Prize. The signatories expressly advocate for a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, such a peace can only be just and sustainable if the rights of the Armenian population forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh are recognized in accordance with international law and the UN Genocide Convention.

“In awarding the prize, the Hessian State Parliament must not turn a blind eye to the grave crimes, the suffering of the affected people, and the ongoing destruction of the millennia-old Armenian and Christian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan,” stated Sarah Reinke, head of human rights work at the STP. “Otherwise, there is a risk that the award will not contribute to resolving the conflict but will instead be perceived as a whitewashing of the crimes committed.”

In their appeal, the organizations remind Germany of its historical responsibility: It was not until 101 years after the start of the genocide against the Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire that the German Bundestag officially recognized the crimes in June 2016. Ten years after this resolution and in light of the events in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, the question of what consequences arise from this acknowledgment of responsibility has taken on new urgency.

The appeal also takes a critical look at developments within Armenia: Under Pashinyan’s government, the Armenian Apostolic Church is coming under increasing state pressure; clergy, including archbishops, have been detained and subjected to travel bans. Opposition forces advocating for the rights of displaced persons are facing political pressure and politically motivated detentions. Furthermore, Pashinyan has repeatedly and sharply attacked displaced persons in public, in some cases attributing responsibility for their displacement to them. According to the signatories, treating those affected in this manner stands in alarming contrast to a peace prize awarded for democratic values and peaceful conflict resolution.

The signatories therefore call on the Hessian State Parliament and the Board of Trustees of the Hessian Peace Prize to use the awarding of the prize to Pashinyan as an opportunity to clearly address the outstanding issues and unresolved consequences of the conflict. These include, in particular:

• the right of Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to a safe and dignified return, as protected under international law;

• the immediate release of the 19 Armenian hostages still being held in Baku;
• the effective and internationally monitored protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The appeal is signed by the Central Council of Armenians in Germany (ZAD), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the Working Group for Recognition—Against Genocide, for International Understanding e.V., the Association for the Promotion of an Ecumenical Memorial for Genocide Victims in the Ottoman Empire (FÖGG) e.V., and Christian Solidarity International (CSI).

The full appeal can be found here.

For further inquiries, you can also contact Dr. Tessa Hofmann, Chair of the “Working Group on Recognition – Against Genocide, for International Understanding” (Arbeitsgruppe Anerkennung – Gegen Genozid, für Völkerverständigung e.V.), at 030/8516409, as well as Jonathan Spangenberg from the Central Council of Armenians in Germany at vorstand@zentralrat.org.