Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is attempting to intimidate Armenian captives using the statements of Nikol Pashinyan, MP Taguhi Tovmasyan from the opposition With Honor faction told reporters on Thursday.
"We have repeatedly warned of the enemy country’s possible use of the statements and conduct of the Armenian authorities, we have told them that their words could be used by a neighboring country against Armenia, including in international instances," the deputy said.
Her comments came after Aliyev pointed to the arrests of some Armenian prisoners of war after their repatriation.
"Some of the detainees were arrested in Armenia after we returned them. This is a very serious signal to us, to this people and their relatives. We returned them to Armenia, where they were placed under arrest. Probably, they will torture them,” Aliyev said in an interview to El País on Wednesday.
Taguhi Tovmasyan stated Aliyev is now trying to intimidate Armenian prisoners using Pashinyan's statements.
"In essence, Aliyev is saying that if he releases the captives, they will be arrested and tortured here. This is the worst thing that could happen. I don't know what the current authorities have to do to fix this mistake,” the lawmaker said.
She accused the Armenian government of inaction. The MP stated under the Constitution, Armenia must protect the rights of all its citizens, regardless of where they are and under what circumstances they are captured.
“Armenia must not leave its citizens to the mercy of fate. Now it turns out that the Armenian authorities have renounced the citizens of the Republic of Armenia," Tovmasyan underscored.
The opposition deputy denounced the move as “absurd”, stating it is a vivid manifestation of “inaction, negligence and irresponsibility”.
"This can be used against Armenia indefinitely," she said.
