Azerbaijan to boost security measures in liberated areas

DM Monitoring

BAKU: Security measures are being strengthened in the Fuzuli district, liberated from the Armenian occupation by the victorious Azerbaijani army, the Barda regional group of the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs told media on Dec.16.
The head of the Fuzuli regional police department (RPD), Colonel Khagani Mammadov, was appointed the commandant of the district. The officers of the RPD and the servicemen of the internal troops of Azerbaijan at the entrance/exit to/from the district, as well as on the territory of the district itself, have established posts, taking the security under full control.
The Fuzuli district was liberated during the 44-day war (from Sept.27 through early Nov.2020).
Meanwhile the Ombudsman’s Office said on Wednesday that the Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva met with prisoners of war and hostages returned to Azerbaijan.
From the very beginning, the issue of the Azerbaijani military servicemen taken captive by the Armenian Armed Forces was in the spotlight of and several appeals regarding this issue have been sent to relevant international organizations.
Those appeals demanded from international organizations to conduct a relevant investigation of the facts of inhuman treatment of the Azerbaijani captives and hostages, to put an end to unlawful actions against the Azerbaijani captives, and to return the prisoners of war (POWs) and hostages to Azerbaijan in accordance with international law.
There was conducted a close cooperation with the State Committee of Azerbaijan on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons in relation to the issues of POWs and hostages, and the exchange of information was carried out in the frame of the activities.
Moreover, the participation of the families of Azerbaijani POWs was provided during the videoconference, held with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Azerbaijan at the initiative of the Ombudsman, as a result of which, they had an opportunity to personally appeal to the ICRC representative.
As earlier reported, on December 14, 2020, Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev who had been held hostage since 2014, as well as 12 military servicemen taken captive during the recent 44-day war for liberating Azerbaijani territories from Armenian occupation, were released and returned to Baku. On December 15, 2020, Aliyeva met with these persons at the facility where they were undergoing medical examination and treatment and inquired about their health state, the situation with ensuring their rights, and the treatment standards, while they were held hostage and captive. In their turn, they thanked the Ombudsman for the constant attention to their situation and the activities carried out during this period.
During the meeting with the facility’s administration, she also learned about the health state, rehabilitation, and other assistance provided to these persons.
Armenia seriously violated the norms of international law, especially the Geneva Conventions in relation to the Azerbaijani hostages, as well as our military servicemen wounded and taken captive.