Armenian servicemen detained in Azerbaijan during 2nd Karabakh War could contact their families

During the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan fully ensured that detained Armenian servicemen could maintain contact with their families, however, Armenia deprived detained Azerbaijanis of these rights, Rashid Rumzada, the Deputy Head of Azerbaijani Ombudsman’s Office, said at a seminar in Baku dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Report informs.

He noted that detained Azerbaijanis were unable to maintain contact with their families until their return:

"However, international legal norms should have been fully observed, and the opposing side should have fulfilled its obligations. The state must ensure the rights of detained persons at both national and international levels. In Azerbaijan, we also created opportunities for detained persons to appeal to the Ombudsman. We conducted visits to familiarize ourselves with their detention conditions and listened to their issues while maintaining confidentiality."

Rumzada added that during 2021-2023, the Ombudsman's Office and the National Preventive Group conducted a total of 732 visits:

"There were 184 visits in 2021, 201 in 2022, and 347 in 2023."