Galstyan Calls for OSCE Visit

Lilit Galstyan, an ARF Bureau member and lawmaker, called for a humanitarian visit to Baku at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Autumn Meeting in Andorra on October 7.

Galstyan said Armenian prisoners of war and other Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan have faced closed-door trials, prolonged separation from their families, and a lack of access by international monitoring bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

She urged the OSCE PA to translate its human rights commitments into concrete action and said she is prepared to travel to Baku personally, even alone if necessary.

Galstyan cited paragraphs 208 and 209 of the Porto Declaration, which call on the Assembly to develop a framework for observing cases of incarcerated persons and safeguarding the rights of all persons affected by the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Autumn Meeting in Andorra was attended by Galstyan as a member of the Armenian delegation and as chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

Galstyan raised the issue directly with the president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the secretary general, and the OSCE special representative for the South Caucasus, asking for their personal support in making the humanitarian visit possible.

Galstyan emphasized that the purpose of the visit is to assess the humanitarian and psychological well-being of the Armenian hostages.