Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry urges Armenia to put an end to the provocations accompanied by gross violations of international humanitarian law and release the Azerbaijani hostages, the ministry’s spokesperson Hikmet Hajiyev said.
He was commenting on the decision of the “court of appeal” of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh to leave unchanged the decision of the “court of first instance” on the case of Azerbaijani hostages Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev.
The decision of the “court of appeal” of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh was announced during the meeting of the “court” March 10.
“The trial” organized by Armenia for Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev has no legal basis and the adopted “decisions” are not legal in fact, Hajiyev said.
“Armenia should understand that the Geneva Convention prohibits taking civilians hostage regardless their location and time.”
Armenia has exposed Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev to the most severe physical tortures, and also exposes them to moral and psychological torture with the “trial”, according to Hajiyev.
Armenia’s irresponsible actions once again show that the country ignores the legal responsibility that rests upon it in accordance with the international humanitarian law and the principles of humanism, as well as calls from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the international community to release the hostages, according to spokesperson.
Hajiyev added that the contacts would continue with the international community, in particular, with the OSCE Minsk Group on releasing Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev taken hostage by Armenian armed forces.
During an operation in the Shaplar village of Azerbaijan’s occupied Kalbajar district on July 11, 2014 Armenian forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and detained two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A criminal case was filed against them.
Earlier, “the court” sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment and Guliyev – to 22 years in prison.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Trend.az