The deadline to submit complaints to the European Court of Human Rights over convictions handed down in Baku is June, lawyer Siranush Sahakyan said.

“If submissions are made after June, we will face issues with deadlines,” she said, according to Pastinfo.

She noted that the verdicts have not yet been provided to the Armenian side.

Efforts have been made in several directions—first to obtain the documents, and if that proves impossible, to ensure proper documentation so that the European Court can request and transmit them to the Armenian side.

Sahakyan added that relatives have appealed to public defenders and established contacts to document the inability to obtain the verdicts. A new request has also been prepared for the International Committee of the Red Cross to obtain the documents during possible visits.

She said testimonies from repatriated individuals have revealed a number of additional issues.

“We propose that the Red Cross carry out a visit to raise these issues. The letter must be signed by relatives of 16 individuals, as the core problems relate to the publication of the latest verdicts, their appeal, and the exercise of the rights of these 16 individuals in international courts,” she said.

According to her, if Azerbaijan continues to violate their rights and does not provide the verdicts, this will be formally documented as a failure to deliver them, depriving the defense of the ability to act effectively.

“Based on the information we already have, we are outlining existing and ongoing violations while also asking the court to demand the verdicts and provide them to us. This would allow us to supplement our defense once we receive them. We need to demonstrate that we were unable to obtain the verdicts and later present additional arguments if new facts emerge. However, I calculate the deadline from the date of the ruling—by June we must file the complaints,” she said.

On humanitarian matters, she noted that alternative mechanisms have been considered.

Given the absence of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenia could use посредническое consular representation through a third country to organize visits to detainees. She said this had not been done earlier because the International Committee of the Red Cross had carried out these functions until its office closed in Azerbaijan last September.

Sahakyan added that Armenia has approached the Foreign Ministry regarding the issue and proposed Switzerland as a neutral state that could assume protective functions. Appeals have also been made to the Red Cross to clarify the situation and possibly restore its role.

Earlier, courts in Baku handed down lengthy sentences to several Armenian figures, including Ruben Vardanyan, who received 20 years in prison, while others were sentenced to life imprisonment or long-term terms.