Baku condemns sentencing Azerbaijani soldier in Armenia

Baku/09.05.23/Turan: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the 11.5-year imprisonment sentence handed down in Armenia to Azerbaijani soldier Agshin Babirov and the arrest of another soldier, Huseyn Akhundov.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement on 8 May condemning the mock trial in Armenia of the Azerbaijani soldier Agshin Babirov and the arrest of his colleague Huseyn Akhundov on trumped-up charges.

The document says that the captured Azerbaijani soldiers are now also subjected to moral and mental tortures through similar trials, after brutal physical torture.

"By such irresponsible behaviour Armenia once again demonstrates that it ignores its legal responsibility under international humanitarian law, as well as the calls of the international community for the release of hostages and the principles of humanism," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry statement reads.

The Ministry stressed that such actions of Yerevan, while Baku had earlier returned more than 10 Armenian soldiers who got lost in the territory of Azerbaijan without any preconditions, demonstrates that Armenia is not interested in peace and confidence building measures in the region.

"Armenia must put an end to such subversive activities accompanied by gross violations of international humanitarian law and immediately release the hostages," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry statement further said.

Baku also called on the world community, relevant international organisations and non-governmental organisations to exert serious influence and pressure on Armenia to release as soon as possible the Azerbaijani soldiers taken hostage for reuniting with their families.

On the previous day the Syunik court in Armenia sentenced Agshin Babirov to 11.5 years of imprisonment.

Note that he was found guilty of "illegal border crossing, smuggling of firearms and ammunition across the state border".  The investigation into the case of the second serviceman, Huseyn Akhundov, who was charged with the same charges, and even "murder", is ongoing.

*We should remind you that on April 10, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense reported that two soldiers lost their way on the border of Nakhchivan and Armenia.

Later, one of them came to the village of Bnunis of Syunik region and asked villagers for help, while the other was detained three days later near the town of Kafan. In doing so, the Armenians brutally beat him, videotaping it and posting it on social media. -06В-