Armenia: military serviceman arrested after returning from captivity

A court in Armenia has arrested for two months Major Narek Eremyan, who had returned from captivity in Azerbaijan. He is accused of violating the rules of military service, his advocate has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 26, Azerbaijan handed two prisoners over to Armenia – a military serviceman and a civilian; and on December 4 – ten other soldiers; they were exchanged for minefield maps. On December 19, ten other militaries were returned to Armenia. On December 21, it became known that the ten prisoners of war (POWs) kept by Azerbaijan, who were returned to Armenia on December 19 are at home; the circumstances of how they were captured are now being investigated. According to the Armenian party, over 130 POWs are still in captivity, but Azerbaijan confirms information about only about 50 of them, Artak Zeinalyan, a human rights defender, asserts.

Major of the Armenian Army, Narek Eremyan, who had returned from captivity in Azerbaijan, has been arrested for two months, the "News.am" has reported with reference to Karmen Pogosyan, an Eremyan's advocate.

The advocate has clarified that Eremyan is accused of violating the rules of military service: and he admits the charge. "It's an extremely unpleasant situation. Armenia has begun persecuting its children. Investigators could quite well work without arresting him. It was not worth subjecting these people to a repeated stress," the "News-Armenia" has quoted Ms Pogosyan as saying.

Earlier, Vardan Tadevosyan, the press secretary of the Investigating Committee of Armenia, said that investigators had interrogated some of the servicemen who had returned from captivity.