Azerbaijan reveals number of captured Nagorno-Karabakh residents

Five Nagorno-Karabakh militaries and two civilians are being held captive in Azerbaijan, while the unrecognized republic keeps two Azerbaijani civilians, said Ismail Akhundov, the head of the Commission on Prisoners' Affairs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 5, 2020, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) in the "all for all" format. On December 28, four POWs were transferred to Armenia, and two returned to Azerbaijan, the commander of the Russian peacemaking contingent reported. The total number of POWs returned to Armenia reached 57, and those returned to Azerbaijan – 14.

Seven residents of Nagorno-Karabakh remain in captivity in Azerbaijan, said Ismail Akhundov, the head of the commission on POWs, hostages and missing persons. "Five militaries and two civilians of Armenian nationality are still in Azerbaijan," the APA News Agency quoted Mr Akhundov as saying on January 5.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been notified of the number of POWs; the Azerbaijani authorities continue working towards returning of two Azerbaijani citizens from captivity to their homeland, Mr Akhundov has added. "On the opposite side, two [Azerbaijani] civilians are kept," Ismail Akhundov said on December 5 as quoted by the "Report" Agency. He has stressed that both of them are civilians.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 6, 2021 at 08:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.