March 2, 2021 - 13:34 AMT
Armenia parliament discussing POW issue behind closed doors

The Armenian parliament on Tuesday, March 2 decided to discuss the issue of the Armenian prisoners of war being kept in Azerbaijan behind closed doors.

"A draft statement of the National Assembly condemning the policy of Azerbaijan to obstruct and unnecessarily delay the repatriation of prisoners of war and captured civilians, including women, was submitted by at least 1/5 of the lawmakers," said Ararat Mirzoyan, the President of the National Assembly.

Mirzoyan then proposed to discuss the draft statement behind closed door, which was accepted by the majority of the deputies.

Several dozen 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.