Following the 44-day war, Azerbaijan, in violation of international law and the tripartite ceasefire declaration of 10 November  2020, kept dozens of Armenian prisoners of war in detention.

 

In the face of such injustice, Hyestart, together with the Covcas Center for Law and Conflict Resolution and the Armenophobia Observatory, launched the LIBERTAS campaign for the release of Armenian POWs illegally detained by Azerbaijan since 2020.

 

This is an international solidarity campaign, the core of which is the sponsorship of Armenian POWs by local authorities, NGOs and celebrities. 

 

Among its sponsors, the LIBERTAS campaign has been able to count on the support of cities such as Lyon, Geneva or Montpellier, NGOs such as Christian Solidarity International (CSI), Dove Tales, the Society for Threatened Peoples or the Scottish Peace Network, and personalities such as Swiss State Councillor (senator) Lisa Mazzone.

 

In December 2023, after almost a year of campaigning, 32 Armenian detainees, including prisoners of war, were released by Azerbaijan. The campaign has continued to the extent that not all prisoners have been released.

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On 19 September  2024, the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Executive Council of the City of Geneva, true to its long humanitarian tradition and commitment to the defense of human rights, officially called for the unconditional release of the 23 Armenian prisoners unjustly detained by Azerbaijan.

 

https://www.geneve.ch/actualites/communiques-presse

 

Click here to visit the LIBERTAS campaign website.

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