7-8 Azerbaijani Soldiers Attack Alen, Throw Him to the Ground and Drag Him Away: Eyewitness

Today, a 22-year-old resident of the Republic of Artsakh, Alen Sargsyan, was abducted from the Azerbaijani checkpoint located in the Lachin corridor. According to an eyewitness, who was also a student traveling from Artsakh to Armenia under escort by peacekeepers, the Azerbaijanis first forced him to go with them and then 7-8 of them attacked the young man, threw him to the ground, and dragged him away.

“When it was Alen's turn for the Azerbaijani soldiers to check documents, they said there was a case related to him and that they would take him through. A few minutes later, one Azerbaijani approached and began to pull Alen, forcing him to follow. Alen, realizing they wanted to abduct him, stepped back, escaped from their grasp, and started running. At that moment, 7-8 Azerbaijani soldiers caught up with him… They grabbed his legs and arms, threw him to the ground, and began to drag him… Alen was pleading for help, saying 'save me'… We started crying; they didn’t allow any of us to approach Alen, and the peacekeepers just stood there watching, doing nothing, as if no one lifted a finger…,” the student told the site, adding that the Russian peacekeepers “didn’t move an inch from their spots.”

“When we asked what you are doing here, what is your role if you allow the abduction of an Artsakh resident right before your eyes, they said, 'Don’t worry, everything will be fine,'” she recounted.