08:36, 8 February 2019

NKR criticizes Azerbaijan for announcing Elnur Guseinzade wanted

Elnur Guseinzade, whom the authorities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) consider to be a prisoner of war, has been declared wanted by Azerbaijan for state treason. This decision violates Guseinzade's rights, who refused to return to his country, the spokesman of the NKR's president and rights defenders have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the NKR's Prosecutor's Office informed that on February 2, the Azerbaijani prisoner of war Elnur Guseinzade had served his two-year sentence, but asked to send him not to Azerbaijan, but to a third country.

The Azerbaijan's decision demonstrates disrespect for human rights, David Babayan, the head of the Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR's President, has stated.

According to official data, three Armenian citizens are in captivity in Azerbaijan: Arsen Bagdasaryan, Zaven Karapetyan and Karen Gazaryan; while Azerbaijani citizens, Shakhbaz Guliev and Dilkham Askerov, detained in 2014, remain in captivity in the NKR.

Artak Beglaryan, the NKR's Ombudsman, treats Azerbaijan's actions as disrespect for the norms of the international law. "Within the framework of the international humanity law, a citizen has the right to move to a third country," he said, explaining that the NKR has refused to extradite Elnur Guseinzade within the procedure of exchange of prisoners with Azerbaijan, while respecting the will of the man.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 7, 2019 at 11:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Alvard Grigoryan

Source: CK correspondent