Demonstrators in Nagorno-Karabakh rally outside ICRC office in Stepanakert after Azerbaijan kidnaps patient

STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Demonstrators in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Stepanakert city gathered outside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mission’s office to protest against what they described as the ICRC’s "inability to guarantee the safety" of Nagorno-Karabakh residents while carrying out its functions because of Azerbaijan’s actions.

State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Gurgen Nersisyan, Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan, and the family of the man who was kidnapped on Saturday by the Azeri border guards while being evacuated by the ICRC for healthcare reasons were among the participants of the rally.

Nersisyan met with an ICRC representative and said that the organization ought to publicly state that because of Azerbaijan’s actions it is unable to guarantee the safety of the residents of Artsakh while carrying out its functions. “We want you to note that you are unable to ensure the safety of any of the residents of Artsakh. You ought to announce in all European platforms that this is how the safety of the Artsakh people is ensured, when even an organization trusted by all countries across the world is unable to keep our citizen in its vehicle bearing the Red Cross emblem. You are even unable to guarantee our citizen’s life in their [Azeri] prisons,” Nersisyan said, adding that the ICRC ought to also publicly state the impossibility of coexistence of the Artsakh people with Azerbaijanis, because Azerbaijan could make false accusations against anyone who was born in Artsakh, like it did in case of 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, the man who was kidnapped by Azeri border guards while being taken to a hospital by the Red Cross.

ICRC Stepanakert staff told the demonstrators that they realize the difficult situation and diligently continue their work in this direction.

The demonstrators said they’ll wait for the ICRC to issue the statement.

Van Novikov