Leadership of Azerbaijani state committee on refugees and internally displaced persons has been taken unawares regarding publications in local independent media saying papers on property of persons internally displaced from Armenia were burned several years ago.

Head of the committee, Vice Prime Minister Ali Hasanov held a press conference accusing independent journalists of anti-state activities.

Hasanov tried to assure such documents never existed, Azerbaijani press writes. According to him, spreading such information is nothing but “an attempt to prejudice refugees from Armenia against our country”. 

Local press reported that documents regarding internally displaced persons were burnt when the committee moved to another building.

Experts consider that documents hindered Azerbaijani authorities in their efforts to inflate the number of refugees from Armenia, as the papers testified to actual number of displaced persons.