Mr. Vagif Khachatryan is not an internationally wanted person, and the unlawful interference with his rights takes place in violation of international legal guarantees and standards, Human Rights Defender of Armenia Ms. Anahit Manasyan stated.
"In addition to the previous publication of the Human Rights Defender, the information obtained and studies carried out by the Office of the Human Rights Defender confirmed the fact that there is no data in international wanted lists that Mr. Vagif Khachatryan, who was taken to Armenia for treatment and kidnapped by the Azerbaijani side, is an internationally wanted person.
Therefore, the statement of the Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan does not correspond to reality.
The Human Rights Defender emphasizes that Mr. Vagif Khachatryan is a protected person under international humanitarian law who was being transported to Armenia under the auspices of the ICRC for the purpose of receiving medical treatment. Therefore, the latter's abduction by the border guards of Azerbaijan is a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
The transfer of persons to Armenia to receive urgent medical assistance by the ICRC was agreed upon with the Azerbaijani authorities, after which only the ICRC performed the international humanitarian mission. In other words, Azerbaijan agreed to transfer a person for humanitarian purposes and then unlawfully interfered with fundamental human rights.
As a result, Azerbaijan violates the Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949, and Article 37 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions related to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1).
The Defender considers it essential to emphasize that the state's obstruction of the humanitarian mission of the organization providing humanitarian aid, in this particular case, the ICRC, is inadmissible and contradicts the international legal principles related to the activities of such organizations.
The abovementioned is a basis to conclude that, in this case, we are dealing with gross human rights violations by the Azerbaijani authorities, considering that international legal guarantees and standards universally recognized in the modern civilized world regarding interference with fundamental human rights are not ensured.
Issues related to guaranteeing the rights of Mr. Vagif Khachatryan are under the direct attention of the Human Rights Defender, and the Defender is in contact with international partners with a mandate of human rights protection."
