YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Artsakh Republic welcomes the statement of the Secretary-General of the European Ombudsman Institute (EOI) Joseph Siegele on the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan, creating artificial obstacles to the return of Armenian captives, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh. The Ombudsman calls on international structures and human rights organizations to condemn Azerbaijan's non-fulfillment of its international obligations and the creation of artificial obstacles to the return of Armenian captives.

The statement of the Secretary-General says in particular:

"I call on Azerbaijan to immediately release all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held captive in Azerbaijan from the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Everyone deprived of their liberty for reasons related to the armed conflict should be returned immediately after the cessation of hostilities and without any preconditions.

It should be considered exclusively in the context of human rights and the humanitarian process as an international requirement which is to be automatically applied.

Delaying the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians undermines human dignity and seriously violates the fundamental requirements guaranteed by the Geneva Conventions. This grossly undermines the post-war humanitarian processes and the international human rights mandates.

The release of the captives and their safe return require immediate resolution. "

The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Artsakh Republic is a member of the European Ombudsman Institute since 2009.