Tweet
Baku Slams US, France over Condemnation of Villager's Death
Friday, August 22nd, 2014
http://asbarez.com/126223/baku-slams-us-france-over-condemnation-of-villager%E2%80%99s-death/
A screenshot of an amateur video of Armenian citizen Karen Petrosian
talking to residents of Aqbulaq village (Photo: RFE/RL)
BAKU--The Azerbaijani government in a statement on Friday criticized
Washington and Paris for their condemnation of the Azerbaijani
authorities' killing of Karen Petrosian, an Armenian border villager
who had wandered into Azerbaijan.
Baku's authorities maintained that the man, killed in captivity on
Aug. 8, was an "Armenian saboteur" insisting that he had crossed the
border as part of a "commando group." Eye witness testimonies from
Azeri villagers who found Petrosian first, however, contradicted
Baku's assertions. Video footage shot by the residents of Azerbaijan's
Agbulaq village showed Petrosian unarmed and talking with the
villagers.
On Aug. 18, the U.S. State Department issued a statement condemning
the death of Petrosian in captivity and calling on Baku to conduct a
full investigation.
"The United States is deeply concerned by reports on the death of
Karen Petrosyan while in Azerbaijan's custody and by allegations that
his death was not due to natural causes," the statement read. "The
United States offers its sincere condolences to Mr. Petrosyan's
family. We call on the Government of Azerbaijan to conduct a full and
transparent investigation into this incident and to make its findings
public."
News reports showed Azerbaijani defense ministry officials dragging,
questioning and publicly humiliating Petrosyan on national television.
On Friday, Aug. 8, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that
Petrosian had died of "acute heart failure."
Armenian authorities insist that the 31-year-old Petrosian did not die
from natural causes, but was tortured or beaten to death.
Petrosian's death rekindled memories of Manvel Saribekian, a
20-year-old resident of another Armenian border village who was
captured by Azerbaijani soldiers in September 2010. A visibly injured
Saribekian was paraded on Azerbaijani television, saying that he is a
member of an Armenian commando squad that planned to carry out
terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan.
Saribekian was found hanged in an Azerbaijani detention center shortly
afterwards. The Azerbaijani authorities claimed that he committed
suicide. The Armenian government said, however, that Saribekian was
tortured to death or driven to suicide. Both the government and
Saribekian's family insisted that the young man was a civilian who
accidentally crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border while grazing
cattle.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, in its statement on Friday, urged
the U.S. and France to a "principled stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict's settlement, and to be unbiased in expressing condolences
and concerns."
Friday, August 22nd, 2014
http://asbarez.com/126223/baku-slams-us-france-over-condemnation-of-villager%E2%80%99s-death/
A screenshot of an amateur video of Armenian citizen Karen Petrosian
talking to residents of Aqbulaq village (Photo: RFE/RL)
BAKU--The Azerbaijani government in a statement on Friday criticized
Washington and Paris for their condemnation of the Azerbaijani
authorities' killing of Karen Petrosian, an Armenian border villager
who had wandered into Azerbaijan.
Baku's authorities maintained that the man, killed in captivity on
Aug. 8, was an "Armenian saboteur" insisting that he had crossed the
border as part of a "commando group." Eye witness testimonies from
Azeri villagers who found Petrosian first, however, contradicted
Baku's assertions. Video footage shot by the residents of Azerbaijan's
Agbulaq village showed Petrosian unarmed and talking with the
villagers.
On Aug. 18, the U.S. State Department issued a statement condemning
the death of Petrosian in captivity and calling on Baku to conduct a
full investigation.
"The United States is deeply concerned by reports on the death of
Karen Petrosyan while in Azerbaijan's custody and by allegations that
his death was not due to natural causes," the statement read. "The
United States offers its sincere condolences to Mr. Petrosyan's
family. We call on the Government of Azerbaijan to conduct a full and
transparent investigation into this incident and to make its findings
public."
News reports showed Azerbaijani defense ministry officials dragging,
questioning and publicly humiliating Petrosyan on national television.
On Friday, Aug. 8, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that
Petrosian had died of "acute heart failure."
Armenian authorities insist that the 31-year-old Petrosian did not die
from natural causes, but was tortured or beaten to death.
Petrosian's death rekindled memories of Manvel Saribekian, a
20-year-old resident of another Armenian border village who was
captured by Azerbaijani soldiers in September 2010. A visibly injured
Saribekian was paraded on Azerbaijani television, saying that he is a
member of an Armenian commando squad that planned to carry out
terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan.
Saribekian was found hanged in an Azerbaijani detention center shortly
afterwards. The Azerbaijani authorities claimed that he committed
suicide. The Armenian government said, however, that Saribekian was
tortured to death or driven to suicide. Both the government and
Saribekian's family insisted that the young man was a civilian who
accidentally crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border while grazing
cattle.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, in its statement on Friday, urged
the U.S. and France to a "principled stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict's settlement, and to be unbiased in expressing condolences
and concerns."