CANBERRA: Federal Parliamentarians the Hon. Tim Wilson MP, Senator Jacqui Lambie, Senator David Shoebridge, and Senator Steph Hodgins-May have written to Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, calling for the immediate release of Armenian hostages detained in Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
The letters came in the wake of ANC-AU’s Advocacy Week meetings hosted on the 24 - 27 November, 2025. Accompanied by Armenian human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, the ANC-AU appealed to Australian parliamentarians to raise awareness regarding the hostage crisis.
The letters highlighted several issues surrounding the trials, including reports of abuse and mistreatment against prisoners, the opaque nature of the legal proceedings, the lack of independent oversight and the illegality of the charges held against the hostages.
Wilson, the Member for Goldstein and the only current Federal politician of Armenian descent, drew light to Azerbaijan’s monstrous record of human rights and judicial abuse, noting that pre-existing concerns have been accentuated by the recent closure of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offices in Azerbaijan, the last remaining independent oversight mechanism in the Azerbaijani detention system.
Australian Greens Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Senator Shoebridge, outlined: “Minister I understand you have made certain statements on this matter including to ‘cease arbitrary arrests and investigate allegations of ill-treatment’ through the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review mechanism. However, as the conditions have worsened there has been no clear stance against the ongoing detainment of these political prisoners.”
Lambie, Senator for Tasmania, & Hodgins-May, Senator for Victoria, are both new additions to the growing number of Australian politicians speaking out on Artsakh. Having first met with the ANC-AU in November 2025, Lambie & Hodgins-May have already taken a vocal position on this issue.
In light of this, all letters concluded with a firm call to action, calling on the Australian Government to: send diplomatic representatives to monitor and report on the trials and; to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian hostages.
These letters join a growing number of institutions and Governments around the world calling for the release of Armenian hostages, including the European Parliament, the U.S. State Department & Amnesty International. As a result of this mounting pressure, four hostages were released on 14 January 2026, quashing 15 year prison sentences that had been handed down by the Azerbaijani military court.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia’s (ANC-AU) Political Affairs Director, Sebastian Majarian said, “we thank our friends for being a voice for Armenian hostages, some of whom have spent over 4 years rotting away in a cell purely for standing up for their right to self-determination. Their release is long-overdue and Australia must work harder to secure their freedom”
He continued, “every letter, speech and small bit of activism goes a long way in creating the pressure which leads to change, and we have seen that in the recent release of hostages. With pressure mounting around the globe, we hope to see the safe return of our heroes.”
