Edgar Ghazaryan: 'Sometimes They Are Brothers, Sometimes Criminals'

Former head of the Constitutional Court's staff, Edgar Ghazaryan's post:

“Sometimes they are brothers, sometimes they are criminals. On June 12, 2021, during the last days of the pre-election campaign, Nikol Pashinyan published photos of several captives returning from Azerbaijan to Armenia (only 15 out of hundreds) and made a statement: ‘Our 15 brothers are returning.’

On November 17, 2021, during a speech in the National Assembly created as a result of that election campaign, he stated that, due to the actions of his criminal authority, not only was he unable to return the other captives, but new people had also fallen into captivity. He mentioned that it is time for each case of captivity to be properly investigated. According to him, every person serving in the Armenian Armed Forces has responsibilities. ‘Maybe we acted emotionally; what does it mean to be taken captive, under what circumstances should it be examined? Military regulations define when captivity is not considered a crime,’ he said.

Within the year, Nikol Pashinyan has realized that he is incapable of fulfilling the only point of the November 9 capitulation statement that aligns with Armenia's interests—ensuring the return of the captives. He has decided to close the topic of their return, referencing the decisions of Baku's heavy crimes court, which are sentencing Armenian citizens who fell into captivity due to a war incited by him to long years of imprisonment. It is likely that some of the returned captives will also be tried in Armenian courts.

Note: The last meeting with the relatives of the captives was held by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonian, after actively dancing on the beach during a vacation in one of the Greek islands with Nikol Pashinyan's brother-in-law and others.