Aram Sargsyan, leader of the Republic party, reacted on Facebook to the verdicts handed down by Azerbaijani courts against Armenian prisoners, stating that the outcome was expected and no one had real hope for acquittals.
Despite the severity of the sentences, Sargsyan expressed confidence that all of the detainees, except Ruben Vardanyan, will eventually be released and repatriated to Armenia as a gesture of goodwill after a peace agreement is signed.
“Regardless of the harsh verdicts, I’m confident that apart from Ruben Vardanyan, whose case lies in a different domain and is more closely tied to Russia, all others will be freed and extradited to Armenia. This will be presented as an act of goodwill following the signing of a peace treaty, and God willing, it will happen,” he wrote.
Sargsyan also reflected on Armenia’s current strength, comparing it to Israel's assertive actions to rescue its own citizens.
“Armenia is not Israel, which even entered Palestine for its prisoners—but we can, are capable of, and must become stronger. We must strengthen ourselves in every sense. Let us bow our heads humbly, take the hand extended to us, build our economy, and reinvest the surplus, like Tumanyan advised, not wastefully, but into our security and economy once again. Israel can act that way because it has a $220 billion budget. Armenia is not Israel, but it has potential, capacity, and obligation to grow, especially now, with an open window of opportunity,” he wrote.
Former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan has been sentenced to life in prison, along with ex-Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, his former deputy Davit Manukyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, and Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan. Former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20-year terms, while Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan were sentenced to 19 years.
