AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 23 2006
WORKING GROUP OF STATE COMMISSION ON POWS, HOSTAGES AND MISSING
PERSONS RESPONSES TO CLAIMS OF INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP
[June 23, 2006, 14:15:04]
The working group of the State Commission on POWs, Hostages and
Missing Persons made a statement on Thursday to respond to the claims
by co-chairs of the international Working Group for the release of
prisoners and hostages and the tracing of Missing People of the
Karabakh conflict (IWG) that there is little chance of finding the
missing people.
The Commission states that both Azerbaijanis and Armenian were
missing in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding
regions occupied by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.
According to the Commission’s data as of 20 June, 2006, the total
number of the missing Azerbaijani citizens is 4581; the number of
missing Armenians is 414, of whom 197 are citizens of Armenia, 211
are citizens of Azerbaijan of Armenian national, and 6 are citizens
of other countries; 23 of the Armenians were missing in Armenia, 2 in
Georgia, 389 in Nagorno-Karabakh, and only 10 beyond the area of
military operations. Therefore, the statement says, it is obvious
that search operations should be carried out just in the mentioned
territories. However, repeated visits of the co-chairs of the
International Working Group to the region has failed to help in
finding out the fate of any missing person, even despite the
co-chairs’ statement on "open doors" for them in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"At the same time, they question their own claims on the people who
survived noting there is tiny chance to find them. The first thing
that should be done to find the missing people is to search for
them," the statement continues.
"Regarding the alleged inhumane treatment of the former prisoners of
war in Azerbaijan, the things have nothing to do with how Mr.
Bernhard Clasen is trying to present them. No Azerbaijani authorities
persecute or convict anyone for being a prisoner of war. These
allegations by gentlemen from IWG are aimed at distraction of the
public from their primary duties: search of the missing persons," the
Commission says in the statement.
"The Commission informs the public once again that out of 1388
Azerbaijanis released from captivity, only 20 persons have been
liable to criminal prosecution. All of them have been convicted for
concrete crimes provided for in the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan
Republic. None of them was prosecuted for being a former POW.
Therefore, the gentlemen from the International Working Group should
devote their short visits to what this non-governmental organization
was created for," the statement says in conclusion.