FIRUDUN SADIGOV: "THE ARMENIAN HELD CAPTIVE IN AZERBAIJAN PERSONALLY APPLIED FOR ASYLUM IN ANOTHER COUNTRY"

APA
Feb 25 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. "According to the international law,
the Azerbaijani captive and Armenian captive must not be equated.

The Azerbaijani was doing his military service in his country, but
the Armenian was drafted, deceived and sent to Karabakh. Measures are
being taken to return both captives," said head of the Working Group
of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing
Persons Firudun Sadigov when asked whether Azerbaijani soldier held
captive in Armenia Rafig Huseynov and Armenian Paruyr Simonyan held
captive in Azerbaijan might be exchanged, APA reports.

He said according to the international law, it is forbidden to send
a captive back to his country by force.

"We have reports that the Azerbaijani captive feels normal. Of course
all details will be known after he returns. Measures are being taken
for Rafig Hasanov’s returning. As regards the Armenian captive,
he personally applied for asylum in another country," he said.

Sadigov said the reports that Rafig Hasanov underwent torture in
Armenia were not true.

"Sometimes, strange reports spread in media. Some persons announce
themselves military experts and spread information about the captives
held in Armenia. The State Commission has information that 783 people
were captured by Armenians during the operations in 1992-1995. Let
these experts give information about these people, if they can. Such
media reports, of course, aim to create sensation," he said.