STRASBOURG — The European Parliament has ad- opted a resolution calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release Armenian detainees, including prisoners of war and individuals described as political prisoners, and to respect their fundamental rights. The resolution reiter- ates the Parliament’s deep concern over the continued detention of Armenians in Azerbaijan, including former leaders of Nagorno-Kara- bakh. It also condemns what lawmakers describe as in- creasing repression by Azer- baijani authorities against political opposition figures, independent media outlets, and civil society organi- zations through politically motivated prosecutions and increasingly severe prison sentences. The resolution specifi- cally calls for the release of Ali Karimli, chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, who has been detained since last November, and human rights defender Anar Mammadli, who was sen- tenced to 13 years in prison, along with other political prisoners. The European Parliament also criticized the Europe- a Union’s handling of hu- man rights concerns during recent high-level visits to Azerbaijan. The resolution refers to European Commission Pres- ident Ursula von der Leyen’s visit in July and EU Special Representative Magdalena Grono’s visit in September. Lawmakers expressed re- gret that EU representatives did not publicly raise the is- sue of political prisoners or demand their release during those visits. The resolution warns that such silence risks under- mining the credibility of the European Union’s human rights policy. It further states that any deepening of EU-Azer- baijan relations should be conditional upon the imme- diate release of politically detained individuals and an end to repression targeting independent media, civil so- ciety, and political opposi- tion groups. The European Parlia- ment’s resolution is non- binding.