BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10. The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva has expressed protest in connection with the extension of the term of imprisonment of Azerbaijani servicemen captured and illegally deprived of their liberty by Armenia, the Ombudsman's Office told Trend.
"As it's known, the soldiers of the Azerbaijani army Agshin Babirov and Huseyn Akhundov, who went missing in April this year in the Shahbuz district of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on the border with Armenia and, as it was revealed later, were captured by Armenia, were sentenced to imprisonment on false charges," Aliyeva said.
According to her, over the past period, the soldiers haven't been provided with a lawyer, underwent various tortures and ill-treatment, and thus the norms of international law were grossly violated.
"Unfortunately, despite our repeated appeals on this issue, the Armenian authorities, continuing to take a hostile position, once again demonstrated their intention to undermine the peace talks by extending the term of imprisonment of the captured Azerbaijani servicemen, contrary to the requirements of international law," the ombudsperson said.
Aliyeva reminded that as a result of the so-called "trial" conducted by Armenia, a biased "decision" was made on the illegal imprisonment of the Azerbaijani servicemen and the extension of their imprisonment term, which is completely contrary to the norms and principles of international law.
"We demand the speedy release of our soldiers. As the Commissioner for Human Rights of Azerbaijan, I call upon the entire international community once again to take serious and effective steps to free our captured soldiers," she concluded.