PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, reacted on Facebook to the recent return of four Armenian captives from Azerbaijan, arguing that the Syrian terrorists could have been used to secure the release of all prisoners.
He emphasized that actual war criminals and mercenary terrorists were equated with innocent Armenian civilians held in Azerbaijani captivity.
"I'm happy our compatriots returned from Azerbaijani captivity. But terrorists cannot be compared to innocent people. These criminals should have faced trials that would have revealed Turkey and Azerbaijan's intelligence involvement in transferring and trafficking international terrorists. They should have been used to ensure the return of all captives," he stated.
Tatoyan said that exchanging Syrian mercenaries for just four captives is a government failure, as public trials could have internationally exposed the terrorist networks and exerted pressure on Baku to release all remaining captives.
Kristine Vardanyan, MP from the opposition Hayastan faction, also criticized the move in a Facebook post, warning against using the return of captives as a pre-election tool.
"I think we underestimate what it means to turn the return of captives into an electoral instrument. It's like officially telling Aliyev: you have unlimited power to interfere in Armenia's internal affairs.
If you want a favorable regime in Armenia, capture Armenian citizens, keep them in Baku's prisons for years, and release a few before elections. This cycle could go on forever.
We can't let this happen. While we must sincerely rejoice when captives return, the full release of all captives and preventing new ones must be a standing demand to any government. It shouldn't be sold as an achievement or favor to the public," she wrote.
On January 14, Azerbaijan handed over four Armenians to Armenia: Davit Davtyan, Gevorg Sujyan, Vicken Euljeckjian, and Vagif Khachatryan. Davtyan and Sujyan were captured in November 2020, after the war, while delivering aid to Artsakh, and sentenced to 15 years. Lebanese-Armenian Euljekchyan was captured on November 10 on the road to Shushi and sentenced to 20 years.
In return, Armenia transferred Syrian terrorists captured in Artsakh in 2020 to Syria via Turkey. These individuals, previously sentenced to life in prison, are to serve the remainder of their sentences in Syria, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Source: PanArmenian.Net
