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    Categories: 2021

Issue of Armenian POWs discussed at PACE political groups

Public Radio of Armenia

Discussions on Armenian prisoners of war has started at political groups of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), member of the Armenian delegation Naira Zohrabyan informs.

According to her, heated debates were held at the European Conservatives and Reformist Group.  

“I presented irrefutable facts confirmed by the Red Cross, the European Court of Human Rights on the number of Armenian prisoners of war, I presented facts on the torture of Armenian POWs, and spoke about international law, the international conventions according to which Azerbaijan is obliged to return Armenian prisoners of war without preconditions,” Zohrabyan said in a Facebook post.

The Armenian MP stressed that Azerbaijan’s “arguments” claiming that those taken prisoner after November 10 are not prisoners of war is a shameless lie, a brazen lie violating international law, and called on the Council of Europe to use all its levers for the release of Armenian POWs.

“Naturally, the members of the Azerbaijani delegation, distorting all the norms of international law, reiterated that those captured after November 10 are not prisoners of war and a legal-judicial process must still take place against them. Without any serious counter-argument, they began to say that their territories had been “occupied” and “destroyed” for the past 30 years,” Zohrabyan added.

The main discussion on the issue of POWs will take place on Tuesday, in the second half of the day.

Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS