False claim
The Catholic News Agency article of 3 April 2025 backed Jared Genser’s assertion that the detainees are Christian POWs protected by the Geneva Conventions.
Fact‑checking
• No recognised belligerent – The self‑proclaimed “Nagorno‑Karabakh Republic” lacks recognition from international actors, so its detachments cannot be the armed forces of a Party.
• Only members of a state’s regular forces—or militias that “form part of such armed forces”—get automatic POW status.
• Irregular fighters – Indictments reveal ad‑hoc units with no fixed insignia or unified command, breaching Article 4(2) of the Third Geneva Convention.
• Fighters must be under a commander “responsible for subordinates” and an internal system capable of enforcing IHL.
• Grave violations – Charges include terrorism financing, intentional murder, aggressive war and the 2020 missile strikes on Ganja that killed 31 civilians. Such acts strip any combatant privilege.
Photo 1 was taken during 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in a kindergarten used as a military command center. In the photo are military commanders (Arayik Harutyunyan chairing) of self-proclaimed “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”. As seen in the photo there is no visible flag or insignia, or rank on uniforms. Also, usage of civil structures for military purposes is violation of Geneva Convention.
Photo 2 displays Vardanyan’s capture by State Border Security of Azerbaijan. He was captured while trying to flee Azerbaijan illegally. He was not captured during war or any active combat environment.
UN verdict
On 13 March 2025, The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention examined the flagship case of billionaire-commander Ruben Vardanyan. In Opinion 46/2024 it rejected Armenia’s argument that he is a POW or a prisoner of conscience, noting he is detained on credible charges of causing deaths, mass destruction and financing illegal armed groups.
International precedents
International law very highly relies on past practices and how things were handled – stare decisis. If we have a look at some similar cases we can clearly see Azerbaijan’s rulings are within international standards. ISIS foreign fighters – denied POW status by the U.S.-led coalition because ISIS is a non-state entity. FARC commanders (Colombia) – tried under ordinary criminal law; Colombian High Court ruled guerrillas are not POWs. LTTE cadres (Sri Lanka) – courts held rebel fighters cannot claim POW protection in an internal armed conflict.
Azerbaijan applies the same logic: no recognised state, no privileged combatancy.
False Claim
“Scores of Armenian Christian POWs remain in Azerbaijani jails.”
Facts:
Both the UN HRC side-event briefings and the European Parliament’s March 2025 resolution put the acknowledged figure at 23 detainees — not “scores” or “hundreds.”
False claim:
Religious angle: one leader “was denied a Bible,” implying faith-based persecution.
Facts:
No ICRC visit reports, court transcripts, or WGAD filings mention any such denial. Azerbaijan’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion (Art. 48). The claim rests solely on hearsay from the defence team.
False claim:
“Ethnic cleansing … burning of Armenian churches.”
Facts:
Independent press & budget data show ₼3.14 billion ($1.8 bn) spent by Baku in 2024 alone on reconstruction of the liberated districts, including church repairs. Sattelite imagery proves these facts clearly.
In light of these findings, it’s evident that this article by Catholic News Agency is very much biased and was create with order by Vardanyan’s team and armenian lobby funding. When reading and going through the article many question arises for intelligent and truth-seeker readers. Who is Genser and what are his motives? Why he is promoted as pro-bono worker while he received millions from Vardanyan through Perseus Strategies according to FARA reports? Why there is no mention of Ganja missile strikes that was addmitted by Arayik Harutyunyan.
These questions alone are enough to understand the nature of the situation.
