2-Minute Call with Relatives is Monitored by Baku: New Details

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross have met with Armenian detainees held in Baku during this month. The ICRC delegation in Armenia informed the families of Armenian prisoners and hostages that the Azerbaijani delegation of the organization has conducted individual conversations with those held in Azerbaijan.

The son of a former official from Artsakh told MediaHub that each detainee was essentially given the opportunity to contact their relatives. “Everyone called yesterday, including my father. No note of protest is coming from Baku, nor about the conditions of detention or health status, but we know that everything is framed within the Azerbaijani logic of ‘forbidden.’ There are questions that go unanswered, they smoothly transition to leave them without response. From that, we already assume that even a 2-minute call is being monitored,” he said.

The interlocutor reported that they are in constant contact with representatives of the ICRC's office in Armenia. The Azerbaijani counterpart structure informed that ICRC representatives have assessed the health status, conditions of detention, and treatment of the detainees. It is noteworthy that among those captured are also eight former high-ranking officials from Artsakh.

Tomorrow is a very important day for the detainees, as according to a statement from the Baku side, on January 17, proceedings will commence concerning the detained or hostage individuals. “What should I expect, or what should we all expect from the Azerbaijani prosecutor’s office? I don’t know, in any case, we hope that at least some of them will be acquitted, or at least granted amnesty,” our interlocutor added.