Public organization of prisoners of war and hostages to be created in Nagorno-Karabakh

Today, in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Centre of Civil Initiatives (CCI) has convoked a roundtable on the problem of social rehabilitation of former prisoners of war and hostages, where it was decided to create their public organization, which could lobby the rights of this social group.

Albert Voskanyan, a human rights activist and director of the organization, has noted that in the post-Soviet countries, which have lived through a war, people are reluctant to deal with rehabilitation issues of former prisoners of war and hostages. Starting from 2004, the CCI is implementing the project, under which computer courses were organized for former prisoners of war and hostages and members of their families, other events, including a week-long rest for former prisoners of war.

Two former prisoners of war took part in the roundtable; they have noted that most of the problems they confront are caused by the absence of their social status.

"The social policy in relation to former prisoners of war is regulated by the Law 'On Social Security of Militaries and Their Families', which fails to define a separate status for prisoners of war. It hampers to solving a number of problems," Albert Voskanyan has noted.