Armenia extends arrest of captured Azerbaijani serviceman

An Armenian "court" has extended the arrest of Azerbaijani prisoner of war Huseyn Akhundov, who lost his way on the Armenian territory and was detained in Armenia, Caliber.Az reports citing Sputnik Armenia.

A criminal case was initiated against two Azerbaijani soldiers Agshin Babirov and Huseyn Akhundov, who strayed from the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and ended up in Armenia, on several articles of the criminal code. They were accused of illegally crossing the state border by prior agreement with a group of persons, smuggling and trafficking in weapons and ammunition. Akhundov was also charged with murder.

Journalists were allowed into the "courtroom" only at the beginning of the session, the main part of which was held behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, on May 8, a court in Armenia passed "a verdict" against Babirov, sentencing him to over 11 years of imprisonment.

The Azerbaijani military servicemen Agshin Babirov (born in 2004) and Huseyn Akhundov (born in 2003) went missing due to limited visibility under adverse weather conditions in the border area of the Shahbuz district of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with Armenia on April 10.

Cases of physical abuse and brutal treatment against the abducted Huseyn Akhundov were in the videos circulated on social networks.

Relevant international agencies have been alerted about this case, which is just another incident of Armenian ethnic violence, according to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres had also been informed that Armenia, contrary to international law, is holding captive the soldiers of the Azerbaijani army Agshin Babirov and Huseyin Akhundov.

According to local media, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan at the UN, Yashar Aliyev, in his letter to Guterres, also raised the issue of captive soldiers.

The diplomat noted that the brutal beating of both servicemen in handcuffs was captured on the footage distributed by the Armenian mass media.

"According to the relevant international obligations, Armenia must immediately release our soldiers, properly investigate and punish those who are responsible for the inhumane and degrading treatment of them", the Azerbaijani representative stressed.