YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament adopted a message addressed to the international community and organizations over the return of the Armenian prisoners of war and captured citizens from Azerbaijan, calling on to demand Baku to immediately hand over the POWs to the Armenian side and stop torture and inhuman treatment against them.

The message was adopted following the Parliament’s urgent debate which was held in a closed-format.

Main rapporteur, head of the opposition Bright Armenia faction Edmon Marukyan proposed to adopt the message and read the text:

“The National Assembly of Armenia,

Based on the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1949 Geneva Conventions on Prisoners of War, the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and other international agreements on international law of human rights and humanitarian law, customary international law, principles of right recognized by civilized nations,

Taking into account the commitment of the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides to return all persons who are in captivity, as well as the bodies,

Recording that the Azerbaijani side is artificially prolonging the process of the return of POWs and bodies, is obviously hiding the real number of prisoners of war, captured and other detained persons, is continuing ill, inhuman treatment, tortures, physical and psychological sufferings against them,

Strongly condemning the video recording and spreading of the torture and inhuman treatment by the Azerbaijani side through its armed forces in media outlets and social networks,

Taking into account the widespread and systematic policy of the Azerbaijani authorities on spreading organized hatred against ethnic Armenians, is addressing the international community – the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Committee Against Torture and the Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, the European Committee on Prevention of Torture, the International Committee of Red Cross and other international and national organizations dealing with human rights, as well as individuals, inter-parliamentary organizations, as well as the Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group.

And the National Assembly calls on

to urge Azerbaijan to immediately hand over the prisoners of war, captured and other detained civilians to the Armenian side,

to urge Azerbaijan to stop torture, inhuman and ill treatment against prisoners of war, captured and other detained civilians,

to oblige Azerbaijan to stop the Armenophobic policy in all spheres of public life, such as in educational facilities, in public remarks of public, military and political figures, in media outlets, social networks, etc”, the statement says.

The message was adopted unanimously, with 100 votes in favor.

The full text of the statement is available in Armenian.

Edited and Translated by Aneta Harutyunyan