12:43, 16 December, 2020

GYUMRI, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The families of the servicemen who were besieged in Artsakh’s Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages and who are officially considered missing since the evening of December 15 are blocking the Gyumri-Yerevan highway, demanding authorities to reveal the circumstances around what happened to them. 

The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh announced on December 16 in a statement that in the evening of December 15, in unknown circumstances, it lost contact with the military personnel of several combat positions of the Defense Army deployed in the direction of the Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages of Hadrut.

However, the Azerbaijani media had published videos online showing Armenian troops whom Azerbaijani servicemen have taken captive. But the Armenian authorities have not yet confirmed the captivity of these troops.

However, the protesters say they have recognized their family members in these videos. Most of the troops are from the province of Shirak. Their families claim that the servicemen were besieged for three days before they were taken captive.

Other than blocking roads, the families of the missing troops had earlier blocked the Shirak Governor’s Office, demanding a meeting with Governor Tigran Petrosyan, who told them to address the Ministry of Defense. In turn, the families say the defense ministry is not providing any information.

Several parts of the Yerevan-Gyumri road are closed. The Gyumri-Bavra road is also blocked.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan