YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The wife of Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Anna Hakobyan, visited the family of Karen Ghazaryan, who has been captured by Azerbaijan, on November 6. The family lives in Berdavan village in the northern Tavush Province.
Anna Hakobyan’s spokesperson Arpine Ghazaryan said the goal of the visit was to meet Ghazaryan’s parents, to get information about health condition of his father Armen Ghazaryan, as well as answer the questions of the parents about their son.
Hakobyan noted that Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan recently applied to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights over Ghazaryan’s case. Hakobyan said she hoped that the international institutions, particularly ICRC will act promptly.
“The lawyers told us that Karen Ghazaryan’s case at the ECHR is in a stage that the explanations of the Azerbaijani side are expected. The lawyers assure us that our position is very firm, at least from the point that Karen Ghazaryan is neither a diversionist nor a terrorist. Karen has serious health problems and proofs have been presented to the ECHR,” Hakobyan said.
Referring to the proposal of Azerbaijan to exchange prisoners, Anna Hakobyan said that it’s cynical proposal. “As far as I know there is no international practice of exchanging war criminals with civilians.”
Hakobyan noted that the Azerbaijanis who are in Armenia have been imprisoned for killing a 16-year-old child.
