Azerbaijan's Allegation that Captives After November 10 are Not Prisoners of War is a Shameless Lie: Zohrapyan

The Spring Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has commenced, and the issue of Armenian prisoners of war is being discussed within political groups. This was reported by NAIRAs Zohrapyan, a member of the 'Prosperous Armenia' faction, on her Facebook page.

“The discussion on Armenian prisoners of war within the European Reformists and Democrats political group was quite heated. I presented undeniable evidence, verified by the Red Cross and the European Court, regarding the number of Armenian prisoners of war. I also provided facts about the torture of Armenian prisoners and spoke about international law and the conventions under which Azerbaijan is obliged to return Armenian prisoners of war without any preconditions,” she noted.

Zohrapyan emphasized that Azerbaijan's assertion that those captured after November 10 are not prisoners of war is a shameless and flagrant violation of international law. She called on the Council of Europe to utilize all its leverage for the freedom of Armenian prisoners of war.

“Naturally, members of the Azerbaijani delegation, distorting all norms of international law, reiterated that those captured after November 10 are not prisoners of war and that a legal-judicial process ought to take place regarding them. Lacking any serious counter-arguments, they began to speak about territories they claim have been ‘occupied’ and ‘devastated’ over the past 30 years,” Zohrapyan added.

The main discussion on the issue of Armenian prisoners of war is set to take place tomorrow in the afternoon. Given that the prevailing view in the main political groups is that Azerbaijan must immediately comply with the Geneva Convention III and release all Armenian prisoners of war, I am confident that the discussions will be productive,” she stated.