Several hundred people gathered outside the United Nations office in Yerevan today to demand the immediate release of Armenian POWs and others held captive in Azerbaijan.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan was joined by former Artsakh human rights defenders Yuri Hayrapetyan, Ruben Melikyan, Artak Beglaryan, as well as former human rights defenders of Armenia Arman Tatoyan and Larisa Alaverdyan.

"We must force Azerbaijan to fulfill the provisions of international humanitarian law during this period. Armenia should take more active steps to raise this important issue on international platforms," Stepanyan said addressing the crowd.

Stepanyan then read a letter sent to the embassies of France, Russia and the U.S. calling for action to release the detainees prior to the COP29 conference to be held in Baku next month.