The comments by the leader of the Civic Contract party and certain representatives of its elite that the captives will not return from Azerbaijan in the event of public measures are excuses for doing nothing,’ wrote former human rights defender Arman Tatoyan on Facebook :
This is dangerous behaviour. They show citizens that if they are faced with a problem, the state will not protect them.
In 2021, when we published our report on the torture of Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, some members of the Civic Contract party elite described it as ‘fabricated scenes’.
Such behaviour only loosens the hands of the Azerbaijani authorities and minimises the struggle for the release of hostages and prisoners.
In a context where the Azerbaijani authorities are blocking judicial channels and the work of international structures, the State is particularly obliged to take active action, including in the public arena, and to increase pressure. The lack of public action is not in our favour, and we cannot leave our compatriots unprotected, especially those who fought for their homeland’.
Main source: news.am