By taking helpless elderly prisoners, by the actions that actually led to the death of an 85-year-old resident of Karabakh, the Azerbaijani authorities confirm their policy of genocide and expulsion of the Armenian population from Nagorno-Karabakh. Davit Babayan, Advisor to the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President, said this commenting—at the request of Armenian News-NEWS.am—on Azerbaijan’s taking of two elderly residents of Artsakh’s Hadrut prisoners.

"With this, Azerbaijan says, ‘Armenians [of Artsakh], leave for Armenia!’ Two elderly people were taken prisoners, taken away, God knows what they experienced in the Azerbaijani captivity. It is well known what an Azerbaijani prison is; it is tortures, ridiculing, murders. My uncle [from my father’s side] was taken prisoner during the first Artsakh war. He, like dozens of our other compatriots, was kept in a camp near Baku. In addition to ridicule and beatings, my uncle was injected with gasoline before being returned. Azerbaijanis use such barbarism to this day. Let's remember the sad story of Mamikon Khojoyan [before returning the captive resident of Armenia’s Tavush Province, they had injected him with gasoline, from which he had died immediately after returning]. There were burn marks on my uncle's body. My uncle had survived, but did not live long after that. It is not ruled out that poor old man Misha Melkumyan was also tortured," said Davit Babayan.

 The Artsakh presidential adviser added that the barbaric treatment is also reflected in the behavior of the Azerbaijani soldiers during the occupation of Artsakh settlements. "They are destroying everything—infrastructures, houses, churches. The graves are especially ridiculed," Babayan said.

As it was already reported, Azerbaijan on Wednesday returned to Armenia Yevgenia Babayan (born in 1935) a female resident of Hadrut. The Azerbaijani authorities, however, did not return Misha Melkumyan, saying that his transfer was contraindicated.