11:34, 1 June 2021

ECtHR demands information from Baku about six Armenian POWs

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Photo: REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has requested from Azerbaijani authorities to inform, by June 4, about the fate of six Armenian soldiers taken prisoner of war (POWs) in Gegarkunik Region.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported, referring to the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD), that the soldiers performed some engineering works in the territory of their military unit. In its turn, Azerbaijan declared the detainees to be scouts, adding that they tried to cross the border in order to mine the road. Armenia appealed to the ECtHR with a demand to ensure the protection of the rights of the captured militaries.

Zara Amatuni, the head of communication programmes of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Armenia, has noted that the representatives of the ICRC's Baku office have not yet visited the six Armenian POWs.

Azerbaijani authorities would not treat Armenian citizens detained after signing of the ceasefire agreement as POWs. According to Baku's data, in early May, there are 62 or 63 such persons kept in Azerbaijan. Yerevan claims that Azerbaijan keeps about 200 prisoners. On May 3, Armenian human rights defenders named 19 people who, according to their data, were killed in captivity.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 1, 2021 at 01:40 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Armine Martirosyan

Source: CK correspondent