Armenia Ombudsman raises POW swap in letter to OSCE Minsk GroupJanuary 18, 2021 - 17:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has raised the return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan and the protection of their rights in a letter to the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. Tatoyan has written that the exchange of prisoners of war – both servicemen and civilians – must be arranged immediately after the completion of military hostilities. "This is a universal requirement for international action to be automatically applied. Doing the opposite violates international human rights requirements and international humanitarian law, including the 1949 UN Convention on Human Rights," Tatoyan maintained in his letter. "Given the humanitarian mandate of the OSCE Mink Group co-chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and their role in the protection of human rights, as well as the fact that our compatriots have been taken captive in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the letter drew the attention of the co-chairs to said issues and many others." The first batch of 44 Armenian POWs returned from Azerbaijan in mid-December, although Armenian officials said many more people were being held in Baku. Dozens of others, both servicemen and civilians, have been captured after the completion of military hostilities. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said in one of his speeches that the newly detained persons are not prisoners of war but “terrorists”. Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan has said, meanwhile, that at least 120 Armenian prisoners of war are being held in Azerbaijan. Sahakyan represents the rights of some of the Karabakh POWs before the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyer said there is enough evidence proving the capture of said persons, which the Armenian side will submit to international agencies and courts. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. |