Ombudsman: Conviction of Azerbaijani soldier in Armenian captivity illegal

Azerbaijani Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudswoman) Sabina Aliyeva has said that the conviction of the Azerbaijani soldier in Armenian captivity is illegal.

“We have expressed our firm objection to the trial of the Azerbaijani soldier held captive in Armenia, and we believe that the holding of this trial and the passing of sentence itself are contrary to the norms of international law and illegal,” Aliyeva said, APA reports.

While responding to a question about the Azerbaijani servicemen held captive in Armenia, Sabina Aliyeva noted that they continue to constantly convey their firm position to their foreign partners as the Office of the Ombudsman.

To recap, the Armenian court sentenced Azerbaijani soldier Huseyn Akhundov to 20 years in prison on June 21.

Azerbaijani soldier Huseyn Akhundov was charged in a fabricated case.

He is accused of "murder" of 57-year-old guard in Zangazur.

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.

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

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 Huseyn 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.