Friday, July 1 2016 13:31

 Representatives of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Azerbaijani raiders Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev who serve their service in Stepanakert. 

"On June 28, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Nagorno-Karabakh visited two Azerbaijani detainees and provided them with an opportunity to exchange family news. According to its mandate, the ICRC conducted a visit to these individuals in detention to monitor treatment and conditions of detention and help to ensure that the detainees are able to maintain contact with their families", Head of Communication Department at ICRC in Karabakh Eteri Musaelyan stated.  

At the same time answering to the question how many Armenians are in Azerbaijani captivity by ICRC data, Musaelyan informed that ICRC representatives visit one citizen of Armenia Arsen Baghdasaryan. 

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Azerbaijan's State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, Ali Hasanov said in an interview with Trend that Baku proposes to exchange Askerov and Guliyev with all the Armenian prisoners but the Armenian side does not agree to this. 

"I asked the president of ICRC to ensure for Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev communication with their families via Skype. He promised that the Committee will work on this issue however there is no result yet", Ali Hasanov said. At the same time he stated that due to Azerbaijan's President's efforts they will be set free. 
"This issue has been under Azerbaijan's President's permanent control since the first day. By the President's instruction official requests have been sent to a number of authoritative international organizations, including President of ICRC Peter Maurer, UN Secretary General Pan Ki-moon, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Vice President of European Commission Viviane Reding, Secretary General of Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier. A letter was sent twice to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting to assist in the issue. If President Ilham Aliyev managed to free Ramil Safarov that means he will certainly free them also", Hasanov stated. 

According to him by Aliyev's instruction families of Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev were given apartments. 

To recall, on 29 June 2014, Shahbaz Jalal oghli Guliyev, Dilham Gardashkhan oghli Askerov and Hasan Hasanov illegally penetrated into the territory of NKR having with then arms and ammunition and attempted a sabotage attack. They were spying and even kidnapped minor Smbat Tsakanayn, a citizen of NKR on 4 July, who was later found with deadly wounds to the head.  Afterwards, on 11 July, on the Vardenis-Karvachar road, Hasanov murdered a resident of Yerevan Sargis Abrahamyan (born in 1971) and wounded Karine Davtyan, a resident of Dzoraghbyur village on the grounds of national hatred. He was killed showing armed resistance to the Armenian forces. The other two raiders were arrested.  Shahbaz Guliyev, 46, and Dilham Askerov,  54, were charged under the NKR Criminal Code's Article 316 (spying), Article 350 part 2 (violation of the NKR's border by an organized group), Article 245 part 3 (illegal carrying of arms and ammunition), Article 129 part 3 point 1 (kidnapping, actions against a minor with the use of arms), Article 103 part 2 points 3,7,14 (murder combined with kidnapping by an organized group out of ethnic hatred) and Articles 33 and 103 part 1 point 14 (attempted murder of two or more people by an organized group out of ethnic hatred). On 29 Dec 2014, Dilham Askerov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Shahbaz Guliyev - to 22 years in jail. The Court of Appeal left the verdict unchanged.