YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–The Azeri ANS-press–citing Ibrahim Huseynov–Chairman of the Azeri State Committee for Search of POW’s and MIA’s–reported that two military personnel–kept in Karabakh prison–were found and registered by the committee.
The same source accuses Stepanakert of delays in handing over the POW’s. "The Armenian side grounds its action by the health state of the prisoner–who had a heavy wound," Ibragim Huseynov noted.
In an interview with Noyan Tapan Chairman of the Karabakh State Committee for POW’s and MIA’s Alexander Aghasarian said that Karabakh does not hinder releasing Azeri citizens–but they themselves refuse returning to Azerbaijan.
He also said that the Karabakh authorities passed those POW’s to the International Committee of the Red Cross which informed Azeri authorities about them.
According to Aghasarian–one of the POW’s–Agim Ahmedov–was a member of a group detained in Karabakh on April 10. Seven members of that group were killed during the detainment.
The wounded Ahmedov was taken prisoner and is now undergoing medical treatment. The second Azeri citizen–AWOL Sadradin Mourshudov–was detained on July 2.
This is not the first case when Azeri POW’s refuse to go home–because it is known that many of POW’s returning to Azerbaijan were tried and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment or even death.
Azeri POW’s have often refused returning to their homes for fear of persecution.