"We have indisputable proof about 80 more prisoners who have been captured by Azerbaijan," Siranush Sahakyan, the legal representative of Armenian prisoners in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday. In her words, the issue is how long the prisoners have been alive after being captured and whether they are alive at present which lacks sufficient evidence.
In Sahakyan's words, apart from the 45 officially confirmed war prisoners, 80 more prisoners were to be repatriated. "The reason Azerbaijan does not confirm the existence of those prisoners can be explained by two circumstances. Firstly, that is done for political considerations, so that to avoid from assuming responsibility for the fate of that many people and secondly, the captured civilians or military have been tortured and killed," said the lawyer.
Sahakyan informed that only confirmed prisoners by Azerbaijan were on trial in Baku courts and all court proceedings, involving Armenian prisoners, are now complete - all of them sentenced to mostly 4, 6, 15, and 20 years in prison.
"Through this sham trials Azerbaijan actually demonstrates that the prisoners are serving their sentence and the country has legal basis not to return them and threaten to do so until terms of their sentence is expired," added Sahakyan.