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Azerbaijanâ€™s State Commission: â€œThe fate of 162 persons registered as missing clarified last yearâ€

13 January 2009 11:30 (UTC +04:00)

The report says that 20 meetings were held with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) last year, views were exchanged on the work to be done within the framework of â€œAnte mortemâ€ program, discussions were held on elimination of the differences in the lists of missing persons, proposals on establishing more effective cooperation and talks were held on the release of captured Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
State Committee and ICRC signed ICRC-initiated framework agreement on â€œCollection and centralized management of Ante Mortem information about the missing persons due to Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflictâ€ on April 14, 2008. Materials about 295 Azerbaijanis registered in the State Commission as missing persons, but not registered in ICRC, were sent to the International Committee of the Red Cross. According to the report, as a result of the investigations held to find the missing persons, the fate of 162 people registered in the State Commission as missing, was clarified (846 people since 2005), their names were removed from the list. It was determined that 57 of them were alive, 45 killed in battles and buried after being recognized by their relatives, the names of 60 people were repeatedly mentioned in the list. The investigations also found out that 18 persons went missing during the battles. As of December 25, 2008, 4210 people were registered in the State Commission as missing persons.
Results of the investigations show that 39 people registered at the State Commission as missing are taken hostage or captured in the territories occupied by Armenian armed forces.
Two soldiers of Azerbaijani Army Mukhtarov Yagub Allahverdi and Heybatov Vusal Shirsultan and civilian Eyyubov Arzu Nuraddin captured by the Armenian forces returned home last year, said in the repot. Body of Azerbaijani soldier Shamilov Orkhan Farhad, 20, who became martyr during the ceasefire violation by the Armenian forces toward Fuzuli Region of Azerbaijan on November 15 2008, was handed over by the opposite side and given to his family.
Armenian soldier Asatryan Ambarsum Mnatsakanovich detained in the line of contact between the troops in Tartar Region on January 25 2008, Armenian servicemen Yenukian Agasi Atamovich, Zohrabyan Artyom Andarnikovich, Torosyan Karen Jivanovich detained in the territory of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on April 19 2008, civilian Gabrielyan Hrant Samvelovich detained on May 16 2008 in Khojavand Region was returned to the opposite side on August 19 2008, was also reported.
1396 captives and missing people are registered at the State Commission until December 25 2008.