Criminal Case against Turkish Citizens for Visiting Karabakh

Baku / 29.09.17 / Turan: A criminal case has been opened in Azerbaijan against a group of Turkish citizens who illegally visited the occupied territories of the country, the Prosecutor General"s Office said on September 28.

According to the same source, on September 22 Ufuk Uras, Ali Bayramoğlu, Sait Çekinoğlu and Erol Katırçıoğlu entered into collusion with the Armenian side and illegally visited Nagorno-Karabakh without the consent of the Azerbaijani authorities.

The Investigation Department for Grave Crimes of the Prosecutor General"s Office opened a criminal case under Article 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code. With respect to these men, arrest has been chosen as a measure of restraint by a court decision, and they have been declared on an interstate wanted list. The law enforcement agencies of Turkey have been sent an appeal about their detention and involvement in the investigation, the report said.

These citizens of Turkey were accepted by the leadership of the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists. The purpose of this mission is not disclosed. However, judging by the names, there were ethnic Armenians among the members of the Turkish delegation.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry and other official agencies have not yet commented on this situation. -02D-