No Comment from Red Cross Regarding Azerbaijani Prisoner of War

There is no information about the fate of Azerbaijani soldier Firuz Farajev, who was captured by Armenia on July 26.

The Baku-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not received information about visiting him from workers of the ICRC office in Yerevan. As soon as there is specific information about the fate of Azerbaijani soldier, the media will be informed about it, Turan was told in the Baku office.

Relatives of the soldier have not given formal interviews, although they hope that ICRC representatives visit Farajev as soon as possible and will bring him a letter from the relatives. Farajev’s relatives do not believe that he surrendered to the Armenian side; they anticipate an objective investigation into the circumstances of his capture.

Farajev’s relatives told Turan that on July 24 Farajev spoke on the phone with his father, did not complain of anything, and said that everything was in order.  His parents planned to visit the soldier on the following Sunday.

Farajev was drafted into the Army in April, 2012. After he was drafted, he underwent a surgical procedure then returned to military service in early July and almost immediately was put to the post. Farajev served his term in a military unit in Tovuz region, bordering with Armenia.

According to Armenian sources, the soldier "surrendered"; the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry declared that the soldier “was lost.”—06B--