Vagif Khachatryan (right) and Rashid Beglaryan were kidnapped and detained by Azerbaijan this week
With a second Artsakh resident being kidnapped by Azerbaijan in one week, pressure on Baku mounted on Thursday with the European Court of Human Rights giving a one-week deadline for an official explanation.
Azerbaijani security forces on Wednesday detained 61-year-old Artsakh resident Rashid Beglaryan after they said he illegally crossed into the Lachin district for unclear reasons on Tuesday.
Artsakh authorities insisted, however, that Beglaryan walked to Lachin from the nearby village of Mets Shen, with the Artsakh prosecutor general’s office saying on Wednesday that he was “secretly kidnapped” by Azerbaijani servicemen as he walked toward Armenia through the Lachin corridor blocked by Baku. His whereabouts remain unknown, it said in a statement.
The ECHR said Azerbaijan must provide information about the person’s location, detention and health conditions and whether he received medical treatment, with the ultimate goal of return the Artsakh resident.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday that its representatives had not visited Beglaryan in custody.
Zara Amatuny, the spokesperson for ICRC Armenia said that her office is following this most recent case and is taking relevant steps “through dialogue with the framework of the ICRC to ensure certain progress.”
Beglaryan’s came days after Azerbaijani forces kidnapped 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who was being transported by the ICRC to Yerevan for emergency medical treatment. Khachatryan was abducted and transported to Baku where he was charged with “committing genocide” in 1993.
Amatuni, the ICRC Armenia spokesperson, said that a delegation from her organization visited Khachatryan on Sunday.
“Our delegates, including our doctor, visited Vagif Khachatryan in Baku in accordance with our procedures, to get information on his condition, check his state of health and review the detention conditions,” Amatuni added.
Azerbaijani authorities are planning another sham trial for Khachatryan.
Ilgar Safarov, a senior assistant Azerbaijan prosecutor told the APA news agency on Thursday that Khachatryan was examined by doctors and was provided an attorney with a translator.
“Charges against Vagif Khachatryan were announced and preliminary interrogation was held. Currently, other investigative measures are being taken in connection with him,” Safarov told APA.