US State Department continues efforts regarding Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

p

YEREVAN, August 2. /ARKA/. The US Secretary of State and the Department continue to actively address the issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, Deputy State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a briefing on Friday./pp “So on the context of the broader situation in the South Caucasus, this is something that the Secretary and the department continue to be deeply engaged on. I don’t have any updates for you as it relates to that process. And look, when it comes to detainees, we have been clear and consistent that any country needs to treat all detainees humanely, with dignity, and in accordance with international law, and needs to respect detainees’ human rights, and that continues to be true in this case as well,” he said./pp

Azerbaijan officially acknowledges holding only 33 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, but Armenian human rights activists claim there are an additional 80 Armenian detainees./pp

Among those detained in Azerbaijan are former State Minister of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan, ex-presidents of the Republic Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, former Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister and ex-presidential aide of the NKR David Babayan, and former Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army David Manukyan. Also under arrest are ex-president Arayik Harutyunyan and former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan./p br br