ICRC holds dialogue with Armenian and Azerbaijani sides over issue of detained Zaven Karapetyan

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) launched dialogue with the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides over the issue of Armenian citizen Zaven H. Karapetyan who is detained in Azerbaijan, ICRC Armenia Communication Programs Manager Zara Amatuni told Armnpress.

“The ICRC conducts confidential and bilateral dialogue with the sides concerned to obtain access to the detained person. Visits to persons detained in relation to conflict fall under ICRC mandate according to the norms of international humanitarian law”, she said.

Earlier Vanadzor’s Mayor Mamikon Aslanyan told Armenpress the person who has appeared in the territory of Azerbaijan, Zaven H. Karapetyan, was previously convicted and had mental problems. “He lived an uncertain life. He was registered at the elderly house just for receiving a passport, since he had no permanent place to live. He resided in different parts of Vanadzor in different periods, collected garbage and was homeless. He is not from Vanadzor. I don’t know from which orphanage he came, but he had an uncertain lifestyle. We have had no information about him for many years”, Aslanyan said.

Armenian Defense Ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyantold Armenpress Armenia is well familiar with Azerbaijan’s methods of falsely depicting ordinary people, civilians as saboteurs. “This person is a civilian, he doesn’t serve in our army: even his appearance clearly shows this. We are familiar with the Azerbaijani methods of presenting ordinary people as saboteurs”, Hovhannisyan said.

In the video, the man who is allegedly identified as Zaven H. Karapetyan, is asked in Armenian about his details, whereby he mentions that he was born in the Dovegh village of Noyemberyan region in Tavush province. The man says he was born in November 16, 1974.

It is noteworthy that according to the official voters’ registry of Armenia, the registration address of a Zaven H. Karapetyan is noted as Vanadzor, Lori province, not Dovegh village of Noyemberyan (present day Tavush province).

The local village official of Dovegh village Mr. Samvel Gorginyan told Armenpress that he doesn’t know Zaven H. Karapetyan, no such person lives in their community and he has no information.