Armenian captive seeks to go abroad
By Sara Rajabova
An Armenian soldier who crossed into the part of the contact line controlled by the Azerbaijani armed forces has sought a transfer to a third country.
Shahin Sailov, Secretary of Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, told Trend news agency on September 18 that at a meeting with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Akop Injigulyan expressed desire to move to a third country. Relevant documents have been submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.
"Akop Injigulyan has written an application about his desire to go to a third country. This application has already been sent to the Cabinet of Ministers. As far as I know, the application along with other documents of Akop Injigulyan should be forwarded to the Baku office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. They are to appeal to European or other countries," Sailov said.
Sailov said the captive will be transferred to a country which provides its consent. Until that time, he will stay in Azerbaijan.
According to Sailov, at this point it is impossible to say when the transfer will be carried out.
The Commission secretary added that he had no information that Injigulyan was allegedly subjected to pressure or torture in Azerbaijan.
"If Injigulyan was pressured, he would have said this at the meeting with representatives of the ICRC and in a letter to his family sent through the committee," Sailov said.
According to Armenian media, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said on September 18 that they were doing everything in their power to return Injigulyan to his homeland. He also claimed that "though he is not aware what pressure is exerted on Injigulyan, he can imagine it well".
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu commented that the Armenian prisoner of war hasn't been subjected to any pressure and he is insistently refusing to go home.
"Akop Injigulyan said at the meetings with representatives of the ICRC and in an interview that he crossed to the Azerbaijani side on his own will and surrendered. He said he was abused in the military unit where he served, that he was beaten and insutled. So, unable to endure all this, he crossed over to the Azerbaijani side and surrendered," Sabiroglu said.
Sabiroglu said the captive's current condition is normal and he is treated in accordance with international norms.
Sabiroglu said Azerbaijan would like to send Injigulyan home, but he persistently rejects to be repatriated.
"If the Armenian POW wanted to return to his country, the Azerbaijani side would be willing to do this, but he renounced his homeland and asked the ICRC to move to a third country," Sabiroglu said.
He added that Armenian media and the Armenian defense minister are spreading false information suggesting that Injigulyan renounced his country under pressure.
"We officially declare that the information which said Injigulyan is being subjected to pressure is false and does not correspond to reality," Sabiroglu said.
Late on August 7, Injigulyan crossed the part of the contact line controlled by the Azerbaijani armed forces in Azerbaijan's Aghdam region.
A precarious ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia was reached after a lengthy war that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis and has been in place between the two South Caucasus countries since 1994. Since the hostilities, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.