Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6
By Samir Ali - Trend:
Documents and video footage of tortures by Armenians against Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov, who were taken hostage while visiting their native lands in Azerbaijan’s occupied Kalbajar district, have been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Chairman of the Azerbaijan Bar Association Anar Bagirov told Trend on June 6.
“Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev must be released,” Bagirov said. “Their rights for free movement in the territory of their country were violated, and the ECHR must recognize their rights. We hope that in the coming months we will witness positive decisions in the ECHR.”
He noted that the Azerbaijani side will also express its attitude to the documents received earlier.
During an operation in July 2014 in Shaplar village of Azerbaijani Kalbajar district occupied by Armenia, the Armenian special forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and took hostage two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A "criminal case" was initiated against them. Afterwards, a "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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.