ICRC reps visit two suspected Armenian saboteurs detained by Azerbaijan

On June 7, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives visited two Armenian citizens whom Azerbaijan has recently detained.

Ilaha Huseynova, head of the public relations department of the ICRC's Azerbaijani representative office, told APA that one-on-one meetings were held with them, and they were given an opportunity to communicate with their families through a Letter from the Red Cross.

During its visits, the ICRC evaluates the treatment of detainees and the conditions of their detention in accordance with its mandate and promotes the restoration or continuation of their contact with their families. Comments and recommendations regarding visits are only communicated to the detained party in accordance with ICRC procedures.

In late May, Azerbaijan detained two Armenian soldiers on charges of crossing the border into Azerbaijan to mount sabotage operations.

On 26 May, Azerbaijan’s State Border Service announced that they had detained two Armenian servicemen, Harut Hovagimyan and Karen Ghazaryan, in Azerbaijan’s liberated southwestern district of Zangilan.

The border service stated that the two soldiers were members of a larger sabotage group whose other members were able to avoid capture by taking advantage of the local terrain.

The following day, the state border service and the General Prosecutor’s Office stated that Hovagimyan and Ghazaryan were charged with illegal smuggling of arms and ammunition, illegal possession of weapons, terrorism, participating in actions aimed at inciting national enmity, and illegal border-crossing.

The two Azerbaijani soldiers were detained a week apart and stand accused of illegally crossing into Armenia.