Baku demands immediate release of Azerbaijani hostages captured by Armenians

H. Hajiyev told APA that the Armenian media has released information on the completion of the appeal procedure of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, the two Azerbaijanis taken hostage by Armenian armed forces.

"Judicial process” carried out by Armenia against Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev lacks any legal basis, and the so-called verdicts claimed to have been passed can have no legal weight.

Seeking to conceal its responsibility by conducting an illegal trial process, Armenia needs to understand that the Geneva Conventions prohibit the hostage-taking of civilians regardless of time and place.

"Armenia, which is brutally torturing Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, also continues to expose moral and psychological torture on them through this kind of the so-called judicial process,” Hajiyev stressed.  

Hajiyev said that Armenia with such irresponsible behavior of it, once more demonstrates that it ignores its legal responsibility under international humanitarian law, the calls of the international community as well as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to release the hostages and the principles of humanism.

"Armenia must put an end to its provocative acts accompanied by gross violation of international humanitarian law and immediately release the hostages. We will continue to keep in touch with the international community as well as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in order to achieve the release of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who were taken hostage by Armenian armed forces,” the ministry spokesman completed.