The parents of Karen Ghazaryan, who is in captivity in Azerbaijan, have sent food and clothing to him.

Smbat Mughdusyan, the prefect of Berdavan border village in Armenia’s Tavush Province, told the abovementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“I visited Karen’s parents on January 1; they had no news yet [from him],” the village mayor said. “They only said that they sent food and clothing to Karen through the Red Cross, but they don’t know whether or not it has reached there.”

Mughdusyan noted that Ghazaryan’s parents and fellow villagers could stage protests again after the New Year and Armenian Christmas holidays, and demand from Armenian authorities to take steps toward having Ghazaryan returned to Armenia.

Karen Ghazaryan (born in 1984), a resident of Berdavan village, had ended up in Azerbaijan for unknown reasons, and was captured on July 15, 2018.

Azerbaijan attempted to present this incident as “the prevention of a reconnaissance group of the Armenian Armed Forces on the border.” The incident allegedly had occurred in the direction of Azerbaijan’s Gazakh Region. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry had said an Armenian military serviceman was taken captive.

The Armenian Defense Ministry, however, formally declared that Ghazaryan had never served in the Armed Forces of Armenia.

And on November 16, 2018 the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, announced that he had petitioned to the UN and the Council of Europe commissioners, in connection with having Karen Ghazaryan returned to Armenia, and that relevant work was being done also in close cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross.