| Your support is crucial! The Armenian National Committee of UK works tirelessly to advocate for the Armenian Cause and protect our community’s rights. We need your donations to continue this vital work. Every contribution makes a difference. Please donate today and help us keep our voice strong. |
|
|
1. The Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh visits the UK
|
|
 |
| A delegation from the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh, led by Erich Vontobel, Committee Co-President, held a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Armenia, together with John Eibner, President of Christian Solidarity International, on October 29.
Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, along with several religious leaders and representatives from the APPG for Freedom of Religion or Belief, HART and the Armenian Community Council Chair, were also present.
The discussion focused on the importance of upholding the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh to return to their homeland, as well as the issue of Armenian prisoners held illegally in Baku.
There was an in-depth exchange of questions and answers throughout the meeting. This meeting was organised by the APPG for Armenia and ANC-UK. |
|
 |
| On September 29, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) hosted a side event at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: “Human Rights in Azerbaijan: The Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh.”
The event promoted the Swiss Peace Initiative as a vital complement to the US led peace process, focusing on ensuring the right of return for over 150,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The side event explored how UN bodies and member states can support a forum where displaced Armenians and the Azerbaijani government can negotiate conditions for a safe and dignified return.
Speakers included:
– Artak Beglaryan, President of Artsakh Union and former Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh
– Erich Vontobel, Swiss National Councillor
– Nicolas Walder, Swiss National Councillor
– Paul R. Williams, Public International Law & Policy Group |
|
 |
| On October 8, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) and the Central Council of Armenians in Germany hosted an event in Berlin to promote the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh, which seeks to create an international forum for the safe return of displaced Armenians to their homeland.
Speakers, including Jonathan Spangenberg (Chairman of the Central Council of Armenians in Germany), Swiss MP Erich Vontobel, John Eibner (CSI’s international president), Father Peter Fuchs (Executive Director of CSI Germany), Dr Luis Moreno Ocampo (former ICC Chief Prosecutor) and Artak Beglaryan (former Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh), stressed that peace is impossible without justice and that Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians must have representation in any future negotiations.
“Armenia clearly cannot negotiate on Nagorno-Karabakh, and therefore Nagorno-Karabakh people need representation”, said Moreno Ocampo.
The Swiss Peace Initiative was approved by a majority in both chambers of the Swiss Parliament and mandates the Swiss Federal Council to organize an international peace forum to facilitate “open dialogue between Azerbaijan and the representatives of the Karabakh Armenians of Artsakh and to negotiate the safe return of the historically Armenian population”. |
|
|
2. The APPG for Armenia elects its officers
|
|
 |
| The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Armenia held its Annual General Meeting on October 29, and the following were elected:
Jessica Morden (Labour) – Chair
John Whittingdale (Conservative) – Vice-Chair
Chris Law (SNP) – Vice-Chair
Lord Mark McInnes, Baron McInnes of Kilwinning (Peer) – Vice-Chair
Annette Moskofian – Secretariat
The Ambassador of Armenia to the UK addressed the group, expressing his gratitude for their work. |
|
|
3. Petition launched in UK to recognise the Armenian Genocide
|
|
 |
| Benjamin Malyon, a Politics and International Relations student at the University of Portsmouth, has launched a petition urging the UK Government to formally recognise the killing of 1.5 million Armenians (1915–1923) as genocide.
The petition highlights that over 30 countries have already recognised the Armenian Genocide and cites Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide,” saying: “It happened to the Armenians, and after the Armenians, Hitler took action.”
The petition runs until 31 January 2026 and calls on the UK to join the international community in acknowledging this historical truth.
“We think the only reason we have not seen activity on this from the ICC is because it has no jurisdiction over crimes committed before its establishment, including genocide. Let’s overcome this technicality and join over 30 other countries in standing with our Armenian citizens and the descendants of genocide“, states the petition. |
|
|
4. UK lifts arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan
|
|
 |
| The United Kingdom has lifted its arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan, introduced in 1992, according to a statement published by Minister of State for Europe and North America Stephen Doughty on 13 October.
The decision follows what the UK described as “historic progress” in the peace process after the August 8 trilateral summit in Washington, and includes upgrading relations with both countries to Strategic Partnerships.
“The UK considers that the rationale underpinning the OSCE’s 1992 recommended arms embargo on ‘all deliveries of weapons and munitions to forces engaged in combat in the Nagorno-Karabakh area’ has fallen away. The UK will therefore fully lift its arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan”, said Doughty.
However, this move comes despite the fact that no formal peace agreement has been signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, raising concerns that such a step may be premature given the ongoing risks and unresolved humanitarian and security issues following the 2023 ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenians, the Armenians prisoners and hostages illegally held in Baku and subjected to sham “trials”, and the current invasion of Armenian territory by Azerbaijan. |
|
|
5. Developments on the Ruben Vardanyan’s case
|
|
 |
| Former International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has revealed serious conflicts of interest in the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision that ruled Ruben Vardanyan’s imprisonment in Azerbaijan was not arbitrary.
Ocampo’s expert opinion shows that Ganna Yudkivska, Chair of the UN group, has professional, financial and family ties to Azerbaijan, including through her work with a law firm representing SOCAR, and her husband’s political links to Azerbaijani officials. These undisclosed connections, Ocampo says, breach UN rules on independence, integrity, and impartiality, invalidating the decision. This was revealed in a 29-page report published by Moreno Ocampo on October 7.
“By not revealing her professional connections to SOCAR, overlooking her spouse’s personal and political ties, and inconsistent application of recusal standards, Mrs. Yudkivska breached her responsibilities under the Code of Conduct, WGAD Methods of Work, and UN Regulations for Experts on Mission. These rules explicitly require mandate-holders to avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves when impartiality might reasonably be questioned”, explained Moreno Ocampo.
Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister of Artsakh, was arbitrarily detained by Azerbaijani forces on 27 September 2023, following Azerbaijan’s military assault and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) Armenian population. Vardanyan and 22 other Armenian prisoners of war, civilians, and political figures face sham “trials”, systematic violations of due process, torture and inhumane treatment, without any verification from international organisations, since even the Red Cross was expelled from Azerbaijan. |
|
 |
| Armenian philanthropist and former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan has issued a statement through his family announcing his decision to dismiss his attorney in the sham “trial” he is facing in Azerbaijan, citing “blatant violations of international and Azerbaijani legal standards” on October 22.
Vardanyan said he was denied access to his case materials, official translations, evidence, and communication with his counsel, rendering any legal defence impossible. Over 60 motions filed by his defence were ignored or rejected by the Baku Military Court. Calling the process a “theatre of the absurd,” Vardanyan said his decision is a protest against what he described as a “staged, secret, and closed military tribunal”.
“As time has passed, the situation has only worsened. In this theater of the absurd, the role of the attorney – regardless of his will or efforts – has been reduced to maintaining the illusion of legality in the proceedings. I refuse to take part in this farce. I do not need the illusion of defence – I demand the actual observance of my procedural rights”.
The full statement here: https://freearmenianprisoners.com/ruben-vardanyan-conveyed-a-statement-through-his-family-regarding-his-decision-to-dismiss-his-attorney/ |
|
|
6. News articles and recent developments
|
|
|
|
 |
| The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Azerbaijan to submit a report by November 4 on the conditions and health status of the 23 Armenian prisoners/hostages held in Baku prisons.
The prisoners, including former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) leaders, have been held in complete isolation for nearly three months, with no international access. The last visit of the International Committee of the Red Cross took place in June, before Azerbaijan forced the organisation to cease operations in Baku. These captives face fabricated charges and sham trials and their condition remains unknown. |
|
 |
| At the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, Armenia reaffirmed its commitment to the absolute prohibition of torture and raised alarm over credible reports of abuse and politically motivated detentions on October 15. The UN Committee against Torture has voiced serious concern regarding the ongoing detention of the 23 Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, stressing that their rights, safety, and dignity remain at risk amid the absence of international access, including from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Armenia urged all states to uphold international law and protect those deprived of liberty from torture and inhumane treatment. |
|
|
 |
| “Armenians do genuinely seem very pleased to see visitors, and their country is finally thriving after centuries of misery that have included multiple earthquakes, invasions and genocide. The Genocide Museum in Yerevan is a must-see and a devastating testament to the death of more than a million Armenians – at the hands of the Turks, mainly – during the First World War”.
“Still relatively undiscovered, it’s a country with plenty to offer – beautiful cities, a stunning, empty landscape, a fascinating history and friendly locals. No surprise, then, that Armenia is finally creeping on to adventurous travellers’ radars”. Article by Anna Selby about her trip to Armenia in The Telegraph. |
|
 |
| Pope Leo XIV canonised Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan on October 19, martyred during the Armenian Genocide in 1915 by Turkey for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.
Saint Ignatius Maloyan (Shoukrallah) was born in 1869 in Mardin, historic Armenia (present-day Turkey). Showing a priestly vocation from a young age, he entered the monastery of Bzommar in Lebanon at fourteen and was ordained in 1896. Renowned for his faith and humility, he served as a priest in Egypt before becoming Archbishop of Mardin in 1911.
During the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Archbishop Maloyan was arrested, tortured, and repeatedly urged to renounce his Christian faith, which he steadfastly refused. Strengthening his flock until the very end, he blessed and prayed with them before their execution. On 11 June 1915, he was martyred for Christ, crying out: “Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.” His unwavering courage and sacrifice remain a lasting testament to faith and devotion. |
|
|
|
|
Make your donation
Please give today to help our campaigns
To continue our ever growing work in advocacy we urgently need funds to have paid staff. All our efforts are done on voluntary basis. Please donate so we can carry on working for the Armenian Cause and raise the concerns of the British Armenian community.
|
|
|
You can now donate monthly!
|
|
|
|
Why Donate?
The Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC-UK) is the largest and most influential British-Armenian political grassroots organisation.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Britain and affiliated organisations around the world, ANC-UK actively advances the concerns of the British-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.
The work achieved by ANC-UK is currently on a volunteer basis. However, we are hopeful that in the coming years through the financial support of our community, the ANC-UK chapter will have the necessary funds to open a full-time office employing an Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant.
Setting up an ANC-UK office will allow for our organisation’s goals to be achieved as they have been throughout the diaspora in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Europe.
As a grassroots organisation, we rely upon you, our community and friends for financial assistance to advance our cause. Your donations support our goal of having a full-time office, to advocate on issues important to all British-Armenians and the Armenian cause.
Thank you for your consideration of our request for your support.
|
|
|
|
|
