Armenia currently has information about 150 captured individuals, but Azerbaijan has confirmed only ten. Attorney Siranush Sahakyan, who represents the interests of Armenian prisoners of war in the ECHR, points out that Azerbaijan hides Armenian prisoners, violating the principle of ‘all for all.”
"The principle of all to all is not realized, because the number of all, the complete information of which Azerbaijan holds, simply is represented to neither the negotiating parties nor the international community in good faith" the attorney said in an interview with "Azatutyun".
It is expected that by the end of the year, Azerbaijan will return these 10 confirmed Armenian prisoners. Attorney Sahakyan noted that she and the government presented irrefutable evidence to the European Court regarding the 50 prisoners: videos, where it is absolutely clear who is there, and especially where these Armenian people are. Azerbaijan is delaying the process as much as possible in this case. They can't show obvious contempt for the Strasbourg court, but they don't give substantive information either. "Azerbaijan shows cooperation, but tries not to give too much information. They initially show certain elements of cooperation in order to exclude the processes regarding Azerbaijan within the framework of the Council of Europe."
Siranush Sahakyan believes that under the pressure of irrefutably evident videos, Azerbaijan will acknowledge the captivity of dozens of people. They are simply emphasizing their role so that they can pretend to be merciful later.
In recent days, the representative of the government in the ECHR is preparing applications to the European Court regarding dozens of people captured in Khtsaberd and Old Districts. Yeghishe Kirakosyan said that they will send applications regarding the boys from Shirak by tomorrow. Artak Zeynalyan and Siranush Sahakyan are working on the case of Etchmiadzin reservists. "Of the military reserve forces officers, who were supposed to be off duty, 11 people remained in the area, 9 people were killed, 2 people survived, 2 were captured, we represent the interests of those 2", says Sahakyan.
Azerbaijan has returned 50 Armenian prisoners from the first days of the war until now, and there is information in Armenia that the number of prisoners is at least 4 times more.