PROSECUTOR GENERAL INFORMS PACE RAPPORTEUR ON POWs, HOSTAGES AND MISSING PEOPLE

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 11 2006

Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan Zakir Garalov met with
visiting delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe led by rapporteur of the organization’s Committee for Migration,
Refugees and Population for the South Caucasus Leo Platvoet.

He thanked Mr. Platvoet, as head of pre-election mission of the
PACE ad hoc Committee, for his unbiased approach to the re-run of
the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, as well as, for positive
appraisal of democratic reforms being implemented in Azerbaijan under
the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, and the country’s honoring
of obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe, that was
given by COE Secretary General Tarry Davis during his meeting with
high-ranking Azerbaijani officials in Strasbourg.

The Prosecutor General described Mr. Platvoet’s mission as very
delicate question recalling that the Armenian policy of occupation
and genocide against Azerbaijan lasted over 200 years and continues
today with 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories under occupation,
that over a million of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and
surrounding regions are refugees and internally displaced, and that
the conflict cannot be resolved peacefully because of the Armenian
leadership’s destructive stance. In this context, according to him,
the issue of POWs, hostages and missing citizens still remains topical.

Zakir Garalov informed the visitors that the State Commission on
POWs, Hostages and Missing Persons, registered 4604 citizens of
Azerbaijan as missing, and that investigation formed three year ago
has questioned 1061 POWs and hostages, and fully proved the fact
that during occupation of the town of Khojaly, as well as Mesheli
and Garadgly villages, hundreds of people were brutally killed, taken
hostage and subjected to terrifying tortures. “Everyone proved guilty
of these crimes will appear in our country’s courts, and, if needed,
relating materials will be submitted to the international courts”
he said.

The Prosecutor General noted that not a single prisoner of war is now
in Azerbaijan, and that the country is open for any international
monitoring. “Should Armenian side has some facts, our republic is
ready conduct an appropriate investigation,” he said. He pointed out
the necessity for the Council of Europe Mission to investigate facts
in the uncontrolled territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and suggested the
visitors to meet with family members of the Azerbaijani citizens,
who were subjected to torture in Armenian captivity, and were missing
for their report to be more detailed and objective.

Leo Platvoet expressed satisfaction with the meeting noting that not
a single document on Armenian citizens held captive or hostage in
Azerbaijan was presented to him, as the head of the Mission, during
their stay in Armenia. He added that information provided by Prosecutor
General of Azerbaijan Zakir Garalov and the questions raised by him
will be taken into account in his mission’s future activities.