Three Azerbaijani POWs are presently kept in Armenia, the Armenian delegation to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told NEWS.am. The delegation member Ruzanna Vardanyan pointed out that ICRC representatives regularly visit the POWs and supervise their living conditions.

“If any problem arises, our representative visits the POWs without being accompanied. If he sees any problems, he reports them to the local authorities. This is part of the confidential dialogue our organization is conducting,” Vardanyan said. She did not name the POWs, as, according to international humanitarian law, they must be protected from undue attention. “We are considered champions of international law. Geneva conventions clearly say that POWs names must not be made public even if they themselves want them to,” Vardanyan said.

On August 27, the Azeri serviceman, junior sergeant Roman Novruz ogly Ghuseinov gave himself up to Armenian sentries. According to the preliminary investigation results, the contract serviceman had to give himself up to the Armenian side because of bullying on the part of the military unit’s commanders.

The NKR State Commission for POWs, Hostages and Missing Persons issued a statement recently condemning Baku’s politicizing the problem of POWs and hostages.