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Elnur Enveroglu

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Israeli head of NGO, activist and journalist Rachel Abraham posted a comment on her facebook account regarding to Armenia's arresting of Azerbaijani soldiers, who mistakenly had crossed the border from Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan AR to Armenian territory. CEO and founder of Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy Rachel Abraham has strictly criticized the puppet government's decision of charging Azerbaijani young soldiers with a baseless crime.

"It was recently reported that following a circus court trial, the Armenian government sentenced Azerbaijani soldier Agshin Babirov, an 18-year-old teenager who was recently recruited to the Azerbaijani Armed Forces only to be held hostage together with Huseyn Akhundov, another Azerbaijani soldier, after going into the wrong area due to adverse weather conditions, to 11 years, 6 months, and 15 days imprisonment."

Rachel Abraham has highlighted Armenia's inhumane behavior such as inflicting physical tortures to soldiers without arms as well as condemning Armenia over such a ruthless crime.

"The Armenian government did this after the poor kid was tortured and exposed to psychological abuse. As the CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy, I would like to condemn the Armenian government for this heinous crime.

As a mother of two small boys and one small girl, I look at the picture of this poor kid and cannot help but cry over his fate. Agshin Babirov is nothing more than a boy, who just came of age and started his military service. He has his whole life ahead of him. He has not even started to study in university yet, much less do anything else in life. He is still a teenager and not even age 20," the journalist emphasized.

Unless the international community acts, poor Babirov will have the prime of his youth robbed from him by the time he is liberated from the Armenian dungeons. And for what crime? Experiencing adverse weather conditions in the wrong location? The Armenian government ought to be ashamed of themselves for doing something so cruel to such an innocent kid, Abraham said, adding that they remind her of another young Israeli soldier that was hostage to Hamas.

"I look at Agshin Babirov and I see Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Hamas at age 19 and was stuck in Hamas custody for five full years till Israel agreed to a prisoner exchange. After he was finally liberated, Shalit was disabled and was discovered with shrapnel lodged into his arm, which remained inside him till he was liberated.
By abducting Agshin Babirov, torturing him and pledging to keep him hostage for the next 11 years, six months and 15 days, the Armenian government is demonstrating how they are no better than the Hamas terrorist regime in the Gaza Strip," the CEO said.

Rachel Abraham also pointed the statement of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as reference to the illegal act and crimes of Armenia towards the Azerbaijani soldiers.

As the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated, “We strongly condemn the fabricated ‘trial process’ by Armenia against Babirov Agshin and Akhundov Huseyn, and the so-called ‘decision’ regarding the arrest of Babirov Agshin, who are the soldiers of Azerbaijani Army went missing and captured by Armenia along the border region with the Shahbuz district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in April of this year. With such irresponsible behavior, Armenia once again demonstrates that it ignores its legal responsibility under international humanitarian law, the calls of the international community for the release of hostages, and the principles of humanism.

They added: “The fact that the Armenian side did not respond to the confidence-building measures” made by Azerbaijan “shows that Armenia is not interested in reconciliation and confidence-building measures in the region.
According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, “The responsibility for undermining confidence-building efforts with this behavior falls entirely on the Armenian side. Armenia must stop this provocative activity, which is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, and immediately release the hostage soldiers. We call on the entire international community, relevant international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to exert serious influence and pressure on Armenia for the quick release of our hostage soldiers and their reunification with their family members.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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