PACE RAPPORTEUR SAYS 5,000 SOLDIERS DIED FROM SICKNESS AND MALNUTRITION IN AZERBAIJAN’S ARMY
Today, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006
At the PACE session Bulgarian parliamentarian Alexander Arabadjiev
presented his report on human rights of members of armed forces.
The rapporteur said rights of soldiers are violated in a number
of Council of Europe member states. He stressed the importance of
establishing military Ombudsman institution to watch human rights of
members of armed forces.
The reports reads in Azerbaijan section that 5 000 soldiers are
thought to have died from sickness, malnutrition. However, most of
PACE members were not in favour of applying all human rights enjoyed
in civil life in armed forces as well.
The correspondent of Europe bureau of APA reports from the session
that members of Azerbaijani delegation Aydin Mirzazadeh, Elmira
Akhundova and Ganira Pashayeva made a speech related to the report.
Mr. Mirzazadeh said that soldiers like civilians should also enjoy
fundamental human rights stated in the European Convention. He also
stressed the importance of establishing military Ombudsman institute
to receive complaints made by soldiers in anonymous way.
Ms. Akhundova said she does not agree to the statistics shown in the
report and refuted the information that so far, 5 000 soldiers have
died from sickness, malnutrition in Azerbaijan. She noted that this
statistics was quoted untested reports of NGOs.
She admited that a soldiers dies almost every day in Azerbaijan’s
Army but not from sickness or malnutrition but from bullet shot by
Armenian armed forces.
Ms. Akhundova advised to carefully consider some recommendations
in the report and did not advocate members of armed forces having
right to have party affiliation. She also considered it undesirable
to conscript young women bearing in mind national and historical
traditions of some member countries.
Armenian parliamentarian Hermin Nagdalian said that Azerbaijani Army
officer Ramil Safarov killed Armenian officer with an axe.
Ganira Pashayeva responding to him, explained the cause of this
incident.
She said Ramil Safariov is from internally displaced family, most of
his relatives were killed by Armenians.
“His native land has been occupied by Armenian armed forces. This fact
naturally had psychological impact on Ramil Safarov,” she concluded.
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