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Head of the ICRC delegation in Azerbaijan: “4,500 went missing during Nagorny Karabakh conflict and majority of them are Azerbaijanis” – INTERVIEW
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19 Mar 2010 17:58 ]
If a state thinks that person violated the law, then it is the duty of state and justice to make a decision about that person
Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. APA’s interview with head of the ICRC delegation in Azerbaijan Toon Vandenhove
-How do you estimate the activity of ICRC office in Azerbaijan in 2009 and what was done? ICRC office in Azerbaijan implements some projects on fighting against tuberculosis in Azerbaijan’s detention facilities and providing drinking water to people in on the frontline areas. What are the results of these projects? And what other projects, in what spheres are you planning to launch in future?
-All over the world the ICRC is carrying out its activities in the conflict zones. The results of Nagorno Karabakh conflict are still felt in Azerbaijan. The success of our work also depends very much on our cooperation with Azerbaijan’s government agencies and Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society. We are holding various discussions in various directions.
We have productive activity with the Justice Ministry within the program on prevention of tuberculosis (TB). We are working with the Justice Ministry in the Specialized Treatment Institution #3. In this specialized anti-TB colony, we can assist the treatment of over 1,000 people affected by TB. According to the information from 1995 to March 2010, over 10,000 TB treatments were provided to detainees in specialized prison TB hospital in Azerbaijan. As a result of our cooperation, the state of patients with TB is improving. 248 out of 1,000 people are receiving treatment from drug-resistant tuberculosis. The Justice Ministry and ICRC understand that one day these persons will be released and return to the society. Therefore, this treatment is important not only for these persons, but also for the society because these persons can return to the society after treatment. ICRC is also cooperating with the Health Ministry on fighting against TB. A National reference laboratory was opened together with the Health Ministry in 2009. ICRC provides laboratory’s staff with trainings.
We continue implementation of water-supply rehabilitation projects in the frontline areas. Totally seven projects on providing population with drinking water have been implemented – two in Gedebey, two in Terter, one in Fuzuli, one in Agjabadi and one in Barda. About 6,000 people benefit from these projects.
Also, ICRC is cooperating with the Defense Ministry and Internal Troops. We regularly hold trainings on the international humanitarian law for the officers. We are also cooperating with the Azerbaijani parliament on working out the law on “Missing persons”. The ICRC and Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society are working together on collecting data about the missing persons in relation Nagorny Karabakh conflict. They do most of the work, volunteers of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society gather this data.
-ICRC office in Azerbaijan is conducting a special project on Missing Persons in relation to Karabakh conflict. What has been done within the project?
-Within the project jointly implemented with the State Commission State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and the Missing Persons, we visit the families of the missing persons and collect information about their missing relatives. We hope these materials will help to clarify the fate of the missing persons. Last year we visited more than 2,000 families. Now we are translating these materials and going to sign an agreement with the State Commission. Later, these materials will be submitted to the State Commission, as the database will be kept in the State Commission.
-How many Azerbaijani hostages are now in Armenia, according to your information?
There are three Azerbaijanis in our list now and they are detained in Armenia. Two of them are prisoners of war and one – civilian. ICRC’s working principle is that our list includes those persons whom ICRC representatives are actually visiting in the captivity.
The missing people are those whose families who have no information about their beloved ones who missed as result of armed conflict and approach the ICRC, which means their fate is unknown. There are nearly 4,500 missing persons in our list. ICRC considers persons from all sides, not depending on their nationalities, who went missing during the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. This figure is changeable because clarification of number is going on. Sometimes when we approach families we find out that a missing person is alive or family received a body and buried it. At the same time, there are such families that they have not addressed us so far.
-How many Azerbaijanis and Armenians in the list of missing people?
-Most of the missing persons are Azerbaijanis.
-During the occupation on Khojaly town 197 Azerbaijani citizens went missing. The State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and the Missing People has information about 80 people who were alive but disappeared. Has the ICRC tried to find out their fate?
-The persons missed during the Khojaly tragedy are also in our list. We are working with both Azerbaijani and Armenian state commissions to clarify their fate. I can’t say anything about those 80 people. Perhaps, the State Commission can explain that.
-Do you have any information on Azerbaijani soldiers, prisoners of war Rafiq Hasanov and Anar Hajıyev? The State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People believes that they have been tortured and therefore they were shown on Armenian television…
-I would like to compare this situation with another one. For instance, you visited a doctor and following day the doctor distribute information about you health conditions to media. It would be violation of law. So, for us, it will be the same violation of law because we are operating in according to agreements with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. In every country, our principle is that ICRC does not disclose findings to public. We are only informing the relevant government agencies and families of prisoners. We are visiting detainees, monitoring of the situation and making our recommendations to the sides. According to the principle of confidentiality, we don’t give information to the third side. There are tensions between the sides. But we try to work in this situation. I know journalists sometimes do not admit our confidentiality principle. But the families and government agencies are satisfied. As a result of the confidentiality, we can extend our activity throughout the world and visit the prisoners of war.
-Has ICRC taken any initiatives to return back Eldar Tagiev resident of Tovuz district?
- The role of the ICRC is to visit prisoners and monitor whether their detention conditions correspond with internal and international legislation or do not. Persons arrested either in Baku or in Yerevan should have a wish to return. We respect this wish as an international organization. Moreover, state authorities of both sides respect for this wish in most cases. Finally, there must be an agreement of the state bodies of both sides. If detained person wants to go to a third country, again two sides should come to an agreement on it: detaining side and receiving state. ICRC may pass to appropriate bodies wishes of civilian and military persons in detention who want to return home from Baku or Yerevan. If official bodies want, then the ICRC can participate in the transmission process. If detained person wants to go to a third country, then ICRC will not interfere in it. UN High Commissioner for Refugees is engaged in this issue.
-In common how many people were released for these years with ICRC office in Azerbaijan help?
- Since it started working in connection with the Nagorny Karabakh conflict in 1992, the ICRC has repeatedly helped authorities arrange the repatriation and transfer of hundreds people. For last two years, acting as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC facilitated the six such operations.
-When the last time you visited Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan? What are their conditions?
- ICRC delegates visited 6 Armenian soldiers who are detained in Azerbaijan in the middle of January. We have offered them our services to establish contacts with their families. We monitored their condition and then conducted a confidential dialogue with the governmental bodies. If you ask question about their future I may not answer it.
-What is the purpose that ICRC hasn’t visited the Armenian family, who had sided to Azerbaijan territory yet?
- Nobody has appealed us to visit them. Neither family nor relatives, even authorities have not appealed us.
-Does ICRC monitor prisoners of war after their return home, during the filtration process?
- We are keeping interest in fate of either detained persons or refugees when they return to their homelands and try to contact with them.
-What is your attitude to imprisonment of people – prisoners, hostages after their coming back?
- Every state has own law. Attitude towards those persons must be appropriate to local legislation. If a state thinks that person violated the law, then it is the duty of state and justice to make a decision about that person. We have no right to explain anything on this issue. State has its internal laws and each citizen must obey it.
-Recently the State comission on prisoners of war, hostages and missing people has stated that international organizations took no step on releasing the Azerbaijani hostages. Does ICRC agree with that?
- Both I agree with it and don’t agree. Because it is not ICRC’s duty to release people. I have said that detained person must agree and express his wish to return. If there is any appeal, then ICRC can participate in this process. But it isn’t our straight work. We can’t return anybody. If detained persons agree and express their wishes, then we will participate in the process and help them with great pleasure.
-Have Azerbaijani captives said their wish on returning?
- It is confidential information and we discuss it only with related bodies and those persons. I can’t say anything about it.
-What is the role of ICRC in sending the hostages to the third countries? Do you have information on how many Azerbaijanis and Armenians were sent to the third country? Do you have such statistics?
Resettlement of persons to a third country is out of the ICRC mandate and therefore the organization does not interfere in it, the UNHCR is dealing with this issue. That is why, we can not provide you with any statistic on it
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