Azernews.Az

A top Azerbaijani official has criticized international groups over the lack of vigorous effort to achieve a release of prisoners from Armenian captivity.
"International organizations have failed to take decisive enough steps so far to free our captives," head of the President's Office socio-political department Ali Hasanov told journalists Tuesday.
He noted that thousands of Azerbaijani prisoners and hostages, including civilians, are still being held in the arch-foe country.
"We respect the measures being taken by international groups for the release of prisoners. However, we are not going to withhold our utter grievances," the presidential administration official said.
Hasanov said the Azerbaijani government was particularly discontent with the activity of the International Committee of the Red Cross which he said has not produced any results although the organization has been operating in accord with its mandate. Notably, he cited the recent transfer of Azerbaijani serviceman Samir Mammadov to a third country.
"We continue talks on the matter with international organizations," Hasanov added.
Mammadov, who was taken captive by the Armenian forces in December 2006, was transferred to a European country on Thursday with the mediation of international groups, reports say. The International Committee of the Red Cross that facilitated the transfer has confirmed the report, but is keeping the country confidential and even the former prisoner's family members are unaware of his whereabouts.
Armenia had been refusing to release the prisoner despite Azerbaijan's repeated appeals.
The two countries fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts. Peace talks have been fruitless so far and refugees remain stranded.

'Freed POWs' arrests'
Up to 1,400 Azerbaijani prisoners and hostages have been released since 1993 of whom only 24 were subsequently charged with specific crimes, the state body in charge said after criticism leveled by an international expert.
The statement by the secretary of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, Shahin Sayilov, was made in response to the allegation by an international group on POWs that "Azerbaijan arrests the released prisoners".
Bernhard Clasen, co-chairman of a group for the release of prisoners and missing persons in the Garabagh conflict zone, maintained on Monday that several Azerbaijani servicemen had been taken to the Military Prosecutor's Office after their release from Armenian captivity and faced severe punishment over high treason. Clasen said further that the international experts will not address issues concerning prisoners of war until Azerbaijan provides a guarantee that POWs are not arrested upon return home. He claimed that this explains why Azerbaijani serviceman Samir Mammadov was allegedly reluctant to return to his home country.
Armenian sources claimed earlier that the POW had voluntarily left his military unit and passed over to the Ijevan district, an allegation Azerbaijan dismissed as provocative and false.
Sayilov argued that it was impossible to predict that Mammadov would be arrested if Armenia repatriated the POW. "If his actions amount to a crime, he could be arrested indeed. It is evident that Samir Mammadov is being subjected to psychological pressure."