Azerbaijan Only Confirms the Existence of Prisoners with Irrefutable Evidence, MP Tells Ombudsman

Maria Karapetyan, a member of the Parliament's 'My Step' faction, wrote on her Facebook page: "The Human Rights Defender believes it is unacceptable that the final number of prisoners has not been published, asking what legitimate interest is being pursued in doing so. I have no doubt that the Human Rights Defender could know (could have inferred from experience or learned from government partners) what legitimate interest is being pursued here, but since she chose to discuss this issue publicly, let me clarify.

Azerbaijan only confirms the existence of those prisoners for whom there is irrefutable evidence. This means there are individuals whose captivity Armenia claims, but Azerbaijan does not confirm their captivity. Armenia asserts, through all available means—whether through the Russian side, the Red Cross, the European Court of Human Rights, or other avenues—even in the presence of minimal evidence, the occurrence of an individual's captivity.

At the same time, it is not ruled out that there are individuals who are in captivity, but Armenia has no information about them, considering them missing. It is also possible that if there is no minor or irrefutable evidence today, it may emerge tomorrow. Therefore, publishing a final number would complicate the completion of the list. Moreover, publishing a final number could jeopardize the lives of those who are in captivity but are still unknown to us."