Defense Ministry Hid the Captivity of Two Armenian Soldiers from Red Cross in July: 'Factinfo'

The Armenian authorities have not only concealed from the public the fact that soldiers Arthur Nalbandyan and Aramayis Torozyan went missing and were subsequently returned from captivity on September 7, but they have also kept this information secret from the Red Cross, depriving the soldiers of assistance from this reputable international organization. This was reported by 'Factinfo'.

On September 7, two citizens of Armenia, Major Arthur Nalbandyan and soldier Aramayis Torozyan, returned from Azerbaijan, who, according to the Armenian Ministry of Defense (MoD), had been considered missing since July 14 of this year. The military agency asserted that contact was lost with the soldiers around 11 PM on July 14 due to fog, as they got lost in the Ishkhanasar mountain area of Syunik, emphasizing that the Armenian soldiers were unarmed.

Over the past month and a half, 'Factinfo' has repeatedly inquired with the MoD to clarify the fate of the soldiers, receiving the same response each time—that search operations were ongoing and their location was unknown. The same response was provided on September 6, but on September 7, it became known that a prisoner exchange had taken place, with Azerbaijan returning our two soldiers in exchange for an Azerbaijani spy. This indicates that they were in captivity during this time.

We attempted to inquire with the Armenian office of the Red Cross whether they had met with the captured Armenian soldiers during the 55 days they were in Azerbaijan, only to find out that the Armenian authorities not only hid the fact of their captivity from the public but also from the Red Cross, depriving our soldiers of support from this esteemed organization.

'We have not been involved in any processes regarding these individuals. We did not receive inquiries from their families, and the Armenian state authorities were fully in charge of this matter,' stated Zara Amatuni, head of communication programs at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Armenia.

She also mentioned that they have no information about another Armenian officer, Arthur Boris Davidians, who has been considered missing since August 22. Senior Lieutenant Davidians got lost in the area under poor visibility conditions and ended up on the Azerbaijani side. Steps were being taken to confirm his presence on the Azerbaijani side.

We attempted to clarify with the MoD whether the officer was also captured, but they suggested submitting a written inquiry, despite having stated verbally on September 6 that they did not know his whereabouts and that search operations were still ongoing.

In an interview with 'Factinfo', Colonel Boris Avagyan emphasized that on September 6, Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan and Rustam Muradov met and that this meeting was the basis for Muradov's trip to Baku; thus, the MoD could not have been unaware of their presence in Baku on that day.

It appears that the Armenian authorities are keeping their citizens who have fallen into captivity away from international oversight, which provides some guarantee for the protection of their right to life, as after meetings with the ICRC, the Azerbaijanis tend to be more cautious. However, no clarification or explanation has been provided regarding the reasons for this behavior, which puts our soldiers' lives at risk.