EC Parliamentary Assembly Monitoring Committee Report on Armenian Prisoners of War and the Lachin Corridor

The report of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has been adopted during the plenary session of the PACE winter session.

The Assembly has called on Azerbaijan to immediately release all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians. It is noted that the most recent urgent notification from the European Court of Human Rights has been acknowledged, which calls on the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to oversee the implementation of Azerbaijan's decision regarding the Lachin corridor dated December 21, 2022, and to immediately and fully implement the interim measures set by the international court.

The Assembly is also monitoring the situation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan. It calls upon Azerbaijan to immediately release all detainees.

The document also mentions that regarding Armenia: “The Assembly welcomes the significant progress in the democratic development of Armenia and calls on the authorities to complete the electoral reforms, continue judicial system reforms, and strengthen press freedom. The Assembly will continue to closely monitor developments related to the balance of powers in Armenia's institutions and the establishment of a democratic culture.”

As for Azerbaijan, the report states that there has been no change in the mentioned country: “The Assembly acknowledges the commitment of the Azerbaijani authorities to political dialogue, but regrets that the overall situation in Azerbaijan has not improved, and several concerns regarding the rule of law, pluralistic democracy, and human rights remain. These include issues related to the independence of the judiciary, media and freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and political rights, as well as inadequate conditions related to torture and cruel treatment by law enforcement officials.”