On September 24, 2026, The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law hosted human rights lawyer and legal expert Ms. Siranush Sahakyan, President of the International and Comparative Law Center in Armenia and Executive Director of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, for “An Insider’s View: Unpacking Azerbaijan’s Cases Against Armenian Civilian Leadership in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh.”

The event was co-organized and sponsored by The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA, the Armenian Bar Association, the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, UCLA Law's Armenian Law Students Association, and the ANCA Western Region.

Serving as legal counsel for forcibly displaced residents and prisoners-of-war from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Ms. Sahakyan provided detailed legal and evidentiary analysis of the criminal cases against Armenian civilian leaders and their unjust detainment experiences in Baku, Azerbaijan, amidst the aftermath of war in the non-recognized Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Ms. Sahakyan used the example of the case of philanthropist and former State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan, whom she represents. She noted that the lack of clear state recognition has led to the legal limbo that Azerbaijan’s case now relies on. In addition, the lack of clear state recognition is not an excuse for the treatment he has received, and international law should be consistently applied to his case as well as those of the other Armenians being held in the aftermath of the war.

More broadly, Ms. Sahakyan’s presentation highlighted the importance of third-party investigators in documenting, analyzing, and publishing a clear, verifiable record of prisoner-hostage conditions and legal proceedings. Ms. Sahakyan also stressed the importance of sustained engagement and action from students, researchers, academic institutions, and human-rights NGOs for garnering international attention, recognition, and intervention.

Following an engaging Q&A session moderated by the PIHR Executive Director Hadar Harris, a wine and cheese reception concluded the event. The talk was well attended by a mix of UCLA law students and faculty, as well as local members of the community.

For more information on this event, please contact The Promise Armenian Institute at armenian-info@international.ucla.edu or visit www.international.ucla.edu/armenia.