Armenia asks ECHR to secure fundamental rights of six Armenians captured by Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, May 27. /ARKA/. The Republic of Armenia has applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today asking it to ensure that the fundamental rights of the six Armenian prisoners of war captured by Azerbaijan on the morning of May 27 be observed.

"The Office of the Representative of Armenia to the ECHR has sent a request to the European Court to take immediate interim measures against Azerbaijan in accordance with Rule 39 of the Rules of Court on behalf of persons captured early in the morning of May 27, 2021 as prisoners of war while performing engineering work in the border zone of Gegharkunik region," the Office said in a Facebook post.

It said the request is aimed at ensuring the observance of the rights of prisoners to life and the prohibition of torture, provided for by the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Armenian Defense Ministry stated earlier that in the early morning of May 27, when carrying out engineering work in the border zone of the Gegharkunik region of Armenia, six servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces were surrounded and taken prisoner by Azerbaijani troops.

The ministry denied Azerbaijan's allegations that the captured Armenian servicemen were on the territory of Azerbaijan.

The capture of Armenian servicemen was condemned by Armenian Foreign Ministry, which called it as a continuation of provocations that threaten regional peace and stability and demanded their immediate and unconditional return. -0-