Secretary of Azerbaijan State Commission: Our captives are forced to stay in Armenia

“State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons together with the International Committee of the Red Cross continues taking measures to release Armenian-captured Azerbaijani soldier Rafig Hasanov,” secretary of the State Commission Shahin Sailov said, APA reports.

He said Armenian media reports that Hasanov did not want to return to Azerbaijan were not true.

“Since the establishment of the commission, we observe that if a captive does not want to return to his motherland, he tells mass media about it within next three, or ten days. Within the past half year our captives are held in Armenia for a long time. A few months, or even half a year later – reports spread on the internet and newspapers that the captive does not want to return to Azerbaijan. According to the international legal norms, a man has the right to live anywhere he wants. A man captured in Azerbaijan, or Armenia is not deprived of this right, either. But it should be done in a civil way, basing on the international legal norms. Our captives are made say such words after a long time. We can say that our captives are forced to stay in Armenia,” he said.

Sailov said according to the recent reports of the commission, Rafig Hasanov feels normal. He has neither psychological, nor physical health problems.

/APA/