Hagop Idzhigulyan, who was in Azerbaijani captivity, returns to Armenia

Yerevan / 02.10.14 / Turan- ArmInfo: On the night of October 2 the serviceman Hagop Idzhigulyan captured by the Azerbaijani side exactly a year ago returned to Armenia.

Idzhigulyan told reporters in the Yerevan airport he was forced to give up the right to return to Armenia from captivity, since he was "clearly indicated to choose a third country as an option for release from captivity, or threatened with execution."

Idzhigulyan also said that in Azerbaijani captivity, he was forced to give an interview where he said that he deliberately crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which "in fact, was a fluke." He also said that before the meeting with the representatives of the Red Cross, he was given a clear indication of what and how to speak and dictated the content of the letters he would send to his parents from captivity.

Nevertheless, Idzhigulyan assured that he feels good and is going to continue military service in the remaining 9 months.

Idzhigulyan was captured August 8, 2013. A year later Idzhigulyan was sent to a third country, whence he returned to Armenia.

Recall that as a prisoner, he gave a video interview, where he talked about the poor conditions in the Armenian army and violence by the officers over the soldiers. According to him, he voluntarily went to the Azerbaijani side after insults and beatings by officers. -02D-