Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 24 2007
Azerbaijani Organization Accuse Yerevan Representative of
International Committee of Red Cross in Cooperation with Armenians
Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. K.Zarbaliyeva / Azerbaijani Public
Association for Support to Prisoners of War (POWs) and Captives
`Hasrat Yolu’ has accused the Yerevan officials of representatives of
the International Committee of the Red Cross in cooperation with
Armenians, Esmira Orujova, the chairman of the Association, said. She
was commenting the Armenian media reports on Azerbaijani captive
Samir Mammadov.
The Armenian sources have reported that Mammadov gave an interview to
the official of Yerevan representative of the Institution for War and
Peace Reporting (IWPR). In this interview published in AZG Mammadov
stated his refusal to return to Azerbaijan and wish to live in
Armenia. Mammadov appealed to the President of Armenia and explained
that expatriation to Azerbaijan he will be charged of parricide and
arrested for 15 or 20 years. Mammadov said that he was orphan and
refused to receive letters sent by his parents contending that he was
brought up in children’s home.
Orujova blamed the employees of the Yerevan office of ICRC in
cooperation with Armenians. `Azerbaijanis, who returned from Armenian
captive, say that ICRC employees propose them to live in Armenia or
to go to the third country at the first meeting. Then the captives
were informed that once they return to their motherland they will be
arrested,’ Orujova said.
Some 1,391 Azerbaijani citizens have been released from captivity so
far. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against 26 of them.
Touching upon orphanage of Mammadov, Orujova said that letters
written by prisoner, as well as letters sent to him by relatives were
written in special lists of ICRC. `The Committee is well-informed
about Samir’s family as the Yerevan representation of ICRC gives
letters to Samir,’ Orujova said.
Samir’s parents deny the interview given by Samir Mammadov, who was
taken prisoner by the Armenian Military Forces in December 2006.
Samir’s uncle, Vidadi Mammadov, regarded it as the next provocation
by Armenia.
Armenia was keen on preventing Mammadov’s returning back to
Azerbaijan, Mamadov said. `The documents collected at the school and
place of residence of Samir have been submitted to the Central office
of ICRC based in Geneva,’ V.Mammadov added.
Recently, Elmira Suleymanova, the Azerbaijani ombudswoman, had
appealed to the President of ICRC, Jacob Kellenberg, and submitted
the documents which deny the rumors concerning Mammadov’s being
orphan.
Gulnaz Mammadova, the spokesman for the Azerbaijani representation of
ICRC, noted that the organization cannot comment on the existing
situation. `ICRC holds monitoring regarding condition in prisons,
psychological state of prisoners, as well as renders assistance the
prisoners in holding correspondence with their relatives. ICRC is not
dealing with returning prisoners to their motherland or to the third
country,’ Mammadova said.
Samir Mammadov is a soldier of Military Unit N in Gazakh region of
Azerbaijan. Mammadov was called on military service by the Military
Commissariat of Barda region in 24 December 2006. Mammadov was taken
prison by the Armenian Military Forces in 15km of the military unit,
in Kazakh-Ijevan frontier line.