Invitation: Human rights action (March 10)

In order to draw attention to the desperate situation of the Armenian political prisoners in Azerbaijan, an alliance of human rights organizations will be holding a vigil at Pariser Platz in Berlin on Monday (March 10). As part of the event, the organizers will present an appeal to the EU Commission, calling for greater commitment to ensure that the Armenian prisoners will be released.

You are cordially invited:

Monday, March 10, 2025

from 3 pm to 4:30 pm

at Pariser Platz in Berlin

The event is organized by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the working group Arbeitsgruppe Anerkennung – Gegen Genozid, für Völkerverständigung (AGA), and the Central Council of the Armenians in Germany (Zentralrat der Armenier in Deutschland, ZAD), with support by the Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM), and Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT).

“We are convinced that Azerbaijan is holding these political prisoners hostage in order to use them as leverage in negotiations with Armenia. This is a violation of all provisions of international law – and extremely inhumane. We are especially concerned about the health of Ruben Vardanyan, who is currently on hunger strike,” the human rights organizations wrote in their appeal. Vardanyan’s state of health is said to be “extremely concerning”. The well-known philanthropist and former State Minister of Artsakh once again went on hunger strike on February 19, 2025, as a means to draw attention to the “blatant violations of Azerbaijani procedural law and international law” with regard to the Armenian prisoners. The human rights organizations insist that Vardanyan should be released immediately.

In their appeal, the organizations call on the EU Commission to “act immediately and decisively by engaging directly with Azerbaijani authorities to clarify the situation of the illegally detained political prisoners – especially Ruben Vardanyan.”