KARABAKH HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER REFUTES REPORTS BY AZERBAIJANI MEDIA ON EXISTENCE OF HOSTAGES IN NKR
ArmInfo
2009-06-03 12:52:00
ArmInfo. Director of the Center of Civil Initiatives, Karabakh
human rights defender, Albert Voskanyan has categorically refuted the
reports by Azerbaijani media that there are still hostages in the NKR,
particularly, children taken hostage during the military actions in
1992-1994. He called this reports anti-propaganda.
‘As Vice Chairman of the NKR State Commission for POWs, Hostages
and the Missing I declare that the last Azerbaijani hostages were
repatriated to Azerbaijan before 1997, mostly as a display of good
will. We immediately verified every report on existence of hostages
in the territory of the NKR and informed the similar commission
in Azerbaijan of the results. As Coordinator of the International
Working Group for Search of the Missing and Exchange of Hostages
in the Karabakh conflict zone, I declare that the search is still
continued and will be continued as long as there is a single Armenian
and Azerbaijani missing person’, Albert Voskanyan told ArmInfo.
He said experts from many states including Azerbaijani human rights
defenders and journalists that visited Nagorny Karabakh made sure that
there are no POWs or hostages in the NKR. ‘In addition, the ICRC Office
in the NKR would be informed if there were any hostages in the NKR’,
he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
