The Azerbaijani presence in the Lachin corridor, on the Hakari bridge, is openly unlawful, criminal.
Kidnapping of a 68-year-old civilian who was being transported from Artsakh to Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross by the armed servicemen of Azerbaijan is a war crime.
This is a criminal act committed by deception, which is prohibited by the rules relating to the International Committee of the Red Cross itself. According to the existing practice, before transporting people to Armenia, the International Committee of the Red Cross informs the Azerbaijani side about it and provides them with a list, thereby agreeing on the transfer of people to Armenia. The same naturally happened in the case of Vagif Khachatryan. As a matter of fact, the Azerbaijani armed servicemen kidnapped the resident of Artsakh to them with an intentional deception and kidnapped him. It is obvious that his life is in danger, and it is committed for political calculations as well.
This act is expressly prohibited by Article 37 (Prohibition of perfidy) of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977.
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What happened today proves even more that the Azerbaijani presence, especially the armed presence, is openly unlawful. It is a source of new crimes: enforced disappearances, kidnappings, etc.
The same is about all Azerbaijani locations near any Armenian community. These criminal acts will continue as long as the genocidal policies of the Azerbaijani government continue, as well as the absolute lack of responsibility.
Center for Law and Justice “Tatoyan” Foundation
