On July 29, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives visited Vagif Khachatryan, who was detained the same day by Azerbaijani border guards at the Lachin border checkpoint.
During the visit, the detainee was allowed to contact with his family, Ilaha Huseynova, head of the PR department of the ICRC office in Azerbaijan, told Trend.
As part of its mandate, the ICRC assesses the treatment and conditions of detention during such visits. Additionally, the ICRC facilitates the re-establishment or continuation of family connections for individuals in detention. Any comments and recommendations resulting from the visits are communicated exclusively to the detaining party, in accordance with ICRC procedures.
Vagif Khachatryan, internationally wanted fugitive of Meshali massacre of December 22, 1991, was detained by the military personnel of the State Border Service at the Lachin border crossing point of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border while trying to go to the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The investigation established that Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan, born in 1955, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in Badara village of Askaran district and worked as a driver in Khankendi city automobile transport company, residing in Meshali village, together with other people of Armenian nationality, used various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, to completely destroy the village.
Using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, they raided the village and killed 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality, injured 14 people, and contrary to national and international law norms expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their domicile.
In addition, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan continued his criminal actions together with his accomplices, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, causing a total of 5 million 496 thousand 900 manats of material damage.
Due to the fact that sufficient reasonable suspicions arose regarding the criminal case, it was decided to involve Vagif Cherkezovich Khachatryan as an accused person under articles 103 (massacre) and 107 (deportation or forced movement of the population) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. However, due to the fact that his whereabouts were unknown to the investigation, on November 12, 2013, an international arrest warrant was applied by the court's decision.
Source: TREND News Agency