HAS AN AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER, CAPTURED BY ARMENIANS, BEEN HUMILIATED BY SERGEANTS AND FELLOWS-IN-ARMS?

Today.Az
s/society/48617.html
Oct 30 2008
Azerbaijan

Has Rafig Hasanov, captured by Armenians, decided not to return
to Azerbaijan?

One of the main topics, which remains the center of public attention,
is a fact of the capturing of Azerbaijani soldier Rafig Hasanov by
Armenians. The additional details of how it became possible were made
public by the soldier’s parents.

According to Day.Az, officials of the International Committee
of the Red Cross told the serviceman’s parents that Azerbaijani
serviceman Rafig Hasanov, being in Armenian captivity since
October 8, was in an unconscious state during the meeting with
the ICRC representatives. According to serviceman’s mother Rubaba
Hasanova, ICRC representatives met her son on October 9 for the first
time. "They registered the fact yet were not able to have a talk as
he was unconscious. On October 16 they held the next meeting with
Rafig and the son dictated the letter and the ICRC representative
wrote it down. Rafig’s family wrote a response letter and submitted
it to the ICRC Barda office.

It should be noted that according to serviceman’s father Rahman
Hasanov, his son was humiliated by sergeants and servicemen while
being in the army and Rahman Hasanov even filed a claim to the military
prosecutor’s office of the Gazakh region.

He said the fact of the humiliation of his son is also admitted
by servicemen questioned in the prosecutor’s office due to the
complaint. Neither the military prosecution nor the military unit
provided Rahman Hasanov with the information about the circumstances
of capturing Rafig Hasanov.

He said on October 8 (the day of capturing) Rafig had a quarrel with
the servicemen that humiliated him. "I went to the unit and directed
to the post. One of the Veliyev brothers, Rafig’s fellow-in-arms, told
me that my son disappeared from the military unit at about 9:00 on
October 8 and, he said he heard three shootings, but it was difficult
to define the direction of the shooting".

The content of the letter sent by Hasanov to the parents arises
special interest. Soldier’s father told APA that the letter reads
the following.

"I am alright. If my brother Afig has a son, call him after me. Bring
my brother Azer with you and be friendly". According to Hasanov,
as his son can neither read nor write, the letter was written down
by ICRC official: "A person, who delivered the letter, told me that
he wrote it down from Rafig’s words".

Spokesman for ICRC Azerbaijani representative Gulnaz Guliyeva confirmed
this fact while speaking to Echo. She announced that the meeting
was attended by official of the ICRC Baku office- a foreigner, who
knows Azerbaijani. "She is the ICRC delegate in Azerbaijan. She was
sent to Armenia as Hasanov does not know Russian. She could talk to
him and translate his words to officials of the ICRC Yerevan office,
who wrote the letter from his words in Russian. The family also wrote
a response, delivered to Armenia.

Thus, two moments attract special attention here.

First of all, how did it become possible that a person, who can
neither read nor write, was sent to the front? In the end, how did
he take an oath? Who is to be blamed for it – parents or the Aghdam
region military enlistment office, which recruited Hasanov in April
of this year?

Second, what does the tone and content of the letter, delivered to
the parents, evidence? Doesn’t it evidence that Hasanov has already
decided not to return to Azerbaijan and follow Samir Mamedov’s way?

Unfortunately, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan could not been
reached for comments. But military analyst and member of the Reserve
officers Union Uzeir Cafarov has definite information from his sources
from abroad.

"Unfortunately, no one pays any attention to the issue of education
of the young people, even whether they can at least read or write
while recruiting. We have repeatedly come across such facts in the
army. During an oath taking one soldier reads the text and others
repeat it and then undersign. If parents have tried to insist on
the just decision, they would have had to fulfill those "specific
requirements", put forward by the military enlistment offices in
such cases. But looking at Hasanov’s father you can see that he has
no means for it".

"We have information that Hasanov earlier told parents about his
being beaten by the servicemen", said the expert. "Thus, he can be
fully considered a victim of the army bullying. And for some reasons,
the military prosecution of the Gazakh reagion, which learned about
it, did not stop these actions for they often prefer to pretend to be
working. The result was Hasanov’s runoff from the military unit. Again
the implied is the section of the front line, where Samit Mamedov (who
found refuge in one of the European countries) and Eldeniz Nuriyev
(currently imprisoned) were captured.

"By the way, we know from reliable sources, that Hasanov has been
worked at well while being in the captivity. I do not conceal that we
have a certain access for specification of such issues via Georgia
and we are grateful to our friends who assist us in getting this
information", said Cafarov, "In his letter Hasanov hints that he does
not intend to return home. Armenians managed to work at him while
ours were sleeping. They have probably listed an example of Vusal
Garachayev and Eldeniz Nuriyev, imprisoned after the captivity and
told him about Samir Mamedov. We have learned that this information is
true. Today our state commission for issues of captives assures that
it takes all measures to return Hasanov. Yet, if he does not want to,
no one will make him return. I know that his relatives, his aunt,
living in Baku, also try to do something. They have already been both
in the Defense Ministry and the State Commission. But it seems to me
that everything will end like in case with Mamedov. The next 10 days
will show how the events will develop".