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On July 29, employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Vagif Khachatryan, who was detained on the same day by the Azerbaijani border guards at the Lachin border checkpoint. The detainee was given the opportunity to communicate with his family.

Ilaha Huseynova, head of the public relations department of the ICRC office in Azerbaijan, said this in response to to local media, Azernews reports, citing Day.az.

In accordance with its mandate, the ICRC evaluates the treatment and conditions of detention during visits. The ICRC also makes it possible for people to re-establish or continue their relationship with their families. In accordance with ICRC procedures, comments and recommendations regarding visits are communicated only to the detaining party.

It should be noted that the investigation of the criminal case initiated by the military prosecutor's office of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code on the fact of genocide, deportation of persons of Azerbaijani nationality in the village of Meshali, Khojaly region, destruction of numerous property belonging to villagers and the state by illegal Armenian armed groups on December 22, 1991 continues.

The investigation established that on the specified day, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan Khachatryan Vagif Cherkezovich, born in 1955, born and living in the village of Badara, Askeran region, worked as a driver in the automobile transport enterprise of the city of Khankendi together with other persons of Armenian nationality in order to completely destroy the Azerbaijanis living in Meshali village as a single national group, using various types of weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, having carried out an armed attack on this village, killed 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality, inflicted bodily injuries of varying degrees on 14 people, expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their places of legal residence without grounds provided for by international legal norms and laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In addition, Khachatryan Vagif Cherkezovich, continuing joint criminal actions with persons by prior agreement, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, caused material damage in the total amount of 5,496,900 manats.

In connection with the emergence of sufficient reasonable suspicions, a decision was made to bring Vagif Khachatryan as an accused under Article 103 (genocide) and 107 (deportation or forced resettlement) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Due to the fact that his whereabouts were not known to the investigation, he was put on the international wanted list and on November 12, 2013, by a court decision, a preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen against him.

As a result of the search activities, Vagif Khachatryan was detained by the servicemen of the State Border Service at the Lachin border checkpoint of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border on July 29, 2023, while trying to travel to the Republic of Armenia for the purpose of treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

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