Azeri expert hints at biological arms research in Karabakh laboratories

Lider TV, Baku
29 Oct 04

[Presenter Rasad Nasirov] Bio-laboratories have opened on Azerbaijan’s
occupied lands, the Azerbaijani national bioethics commission has
learnt. The commission believes that these laboratories may be used
to produce biological weapons.

[Correspondent, over video of conference] An international conference
on the protection of human rights in biomedical research in the CIS
countries continued today. The CIS Interparliamentary Assembly’s
standing commission on human rights and social policy and the
Azerbaijani national bioethics commission are the co-organizers of
the conference.

Bioethics is a system and issues related to human cloning are a
major part of it, the deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani national
bioethics commission and director of the Human Rights Institute [of
the National Academy of Sciences], Rovsan Mustafayev, said. There are
two opinions on the problem, he added. Some people say that human
cloning is dangerous, but some people support the option of using
a clone as a donor. But despite different opinions, the process of
human cloning is under way.

[Mustafayev] A clone that is created is not different from other human
beings. He has the right to live, i.e. this is his main right. Who
can say that a clone has to be used as a donor in modern society?

[Correspondent] Up-to-date research is being conducted in Azerbaijan
as well and we are not indifferent to the processes that are going
on in the world, Mustafayev said. He spoke about the importance of
holding this event in Baku, because bio-laboratories have already
been established on Azerbaijan’s occupied territories.

[Mustafayev] Their purpose is not fully clear. Who has set them up,
what is their purpose? But there is some information that there is
a connection between them and biological weapons.

[Correspondent] The international conference will continue its work
till 31 October.

Radik Ismayilov, Firuz Rahimov for Lider TV.