Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 15 2005

Armenia still withholds Azeri captives

BAKU

The fate of three Azerbaijani soldiers withheld by Armenia in
Khankandi for about two months remains uncertain.
“Although an agreement was reached to return them at a meeting of
the relevant Azeri-Armenian commission, Armenia is not attending to
the problem”, says coordinator of the international working group on
prisoners, hostages and missing people on Azerbaijan Avaz Hasanov.
Hasanov told journalists that Armenia has been ignoring appeals from
international organizations and hopes are now bound with the
newly-appointed head of the International Committee of the Red Cross
on Upper Garabagh. The working group has already appealed to him over
stepping up activity aimed at releasing the Azeri soldiers soon,
Hasanov said.
In compliance with the ceasefire signed in 1994 and international
norms, both sides are required to return prisoners and hostages
immediately.*