ANOTHER AZERI SOLDIER ‘SURRENDERS’ TO ARMENIAN TROOPS
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 25 2006

The Armenian military repatriated one Azerbaijani soldier and took
another as prisoner over the weekend, officials in Yerevan said
on Monday.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said an army conscript who
identified himself as Samed Mamedov willingly crossed the westernmost
section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and surrendered to
Armenian forces deployed there on Sunday. The official, Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvarian, said the 19-year-old claimed to have been systematically
mistreated and humiliated by his Azerbaijani commanders.

"An investigation is underway," Shahsuvarian added in a statement.

The Azerbaijani military did not immediately comment on the
information.

The reported incident occurred one day after another Azerbaijani
soldier, who reportedly crossed into Armenian-controlled territory
east of Nagorno-Karabakh earlier this month, was handed back to the
Azerbaijani side with the help of the International Committee of the
Red Cross.

According to officials in Stepanakert, Vusal Garachayev, 19, willingly
crossed the heavily fortified frontline to escape systematic hazing
at the hands of other Azerbaijani servicemen.

Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasian said on December 18 that
Garachaev is reluctant to return home for fear of retribution. But the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry dismissed this as "Armenian propaganda,"
saying that Garachayev accidentally strayed into the Armenian
positions.