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Ombudsman appeals to ICRC on Azerbaijani hostages’ situation

17 July 2015 13:03 (UTC+04:00)
Ombudsman appeals to ICRC on Azerbaijani hostages’ situation

By Sara Rajabova

The Azerbaijani ombudsman has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross in relation to Azerbaijani hostages held in prison in occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner, Elmira Suleymanova addressed a letter to head of the ICRC office in Azerbaijan, Denise Duran, addressing the torture of Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov, according to a statement by the office of the ombudsman issued on July 16.

A video confirming that Dilgam Asgarov was tortured has been circulating throughout social media, showing Asgarov walking with a limp.

Armenian special forces killed Azerbaijani citizen Hasan Hasanov and took Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov hostage in the Shaplar village in the occupied Kalbajar region in July 2014, while they were visiting the graves of their relatives. Following an expedited “judicial process," Dilgam Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Shahbaz Guliyev to 22 years in prison.

“Once again I want to bring to your attention that I addressed to you on July 18, 2014 with a letter in connection with Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev. These persons were taken hostage in Kalbajar region, which was occupied by the Armenian armed forces, when they intended to visit the graves of their relatives. I've already addressed to you about the fact that this persons were tortured and humiliated during in the captivity. In that address, I’ve requested to ensure treatment for them in accordance with the Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949,” Suleymanova said.

Suleymanova noted that at the same time she appealed to ICRC President Peter Maurer and called on the ICRC to protect the rights of the Azerbaijani hostages, which are enshrined in international documents.

“I’d like to note with regret that despite all the efforts to draw attention to this important issue of relevant international organizations the hostages are still subjected to torture and other violent acts,” Suleymanova said.

Recently, Elchin Behbudov, chairman of Azerbaijan's Anti-Torture Committee had appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the World Organization against Torture.

In his appeal, Behbudov called on international organizations to intervene for the early release of the Azerbaijani hostages and give the case a thorough legal assessment.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict that emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by US, Russian, and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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