HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ACCUSE AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
26 Jan 05

The director of the NKR human rights organization `Center for Civil
Undertakings’ Albert Voskanian characterized the article by
Azerbaijani journalist M. Mejidli published in `Zerkalo’ `Where Our
POWs Disappear?’ as nonsense. The author of the article raises doubts
about the objectivity of the monitoring conducted by the center in NKR
prisons, claiming that there are still Azerbaijani POWs in the prisons
of Nagorni Karabakh. `First I want to mention that the organization
monitors prisons only in the territory of Nagorni Karabakh. Wedo not
attend to similar establishments in Armenia, as the Azerbaijani
journalist says. During regular observations we pay special attention
to the moral, psychological and physical state of the inmates, as well
as hygiene conditions of the cells, the rights of prisoners. All this
is reflected in our reports which we then send to over 100
international and human rights organizations, including the OSCE, the
Council of Europe, the UN Human Rights Commissar, etc. We do not
pursue any political aims. In our reports, besides other aspects, we
have pointed out that in the prisons of Karabakh there are only
persons of Armenian nationality and in case of discovering people of
other nationalities we would mention it by all means. I want to
announce that no slander on the CCU can obstruct our humanitarian
mission which the international community needs in order to get
acquainted with the situation of the NKR prisons,’ told Albert
Voskanian to the agency `Regnum’. In order to make his article sound
truthful, M. Mejidli tried to refer to Karabakh journalists
announcing that journalist Ashot Beglarian (reporter of the agency
`Regnum’, as well as member of the Center for Civil Undertakings) had
stated in his interview to ITAR TASS that there were Azerbaijani POWs
in Karabakh prisons. Ashot Beglarian denied this information
characterizing it as `barefaced slander’. According to the journalist,
` The Center for Civil Undertakings got the permission for entering
NKR prisons in the spring of 2003 therefore in 2001 I simply could not
speak about the presence or absence of Azerbaijani POWs because I did
not possess privileges and information. The absence of Azerbaijani
POWs in Karabakh prisons was for a number of times confirmed by
experts from different countries, including Azerbaijani defenders of
human rights who visited Nagorni Karabakh in the recent years.
Besides, the representatives of the Red Cross regularly visit the NKR
prisons and their objectivity cannot be doubted. I feel shame instead
of my Azerbaijani colleague who resorts to open slander in his
pretensions to discredit Karabakh. It concerns that the author tries
to involve ITAR TASS in his libel, although by studying the archives
of the agency of 2001 one will easily get convinced in the slander of
the Baku journalist,’ said Ashot Beglarian.

AA.
26-01-2005

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress