David Babayan on Lavrov's Statement

The spokesperson for the president of Artsakh, David Babayan, wrote on his Facebook page: “The statement by Sergei Viktorovich should be viewed from two aspects: The first and most important is that the Russian minister has voiced an absolutely humanitarian approach — all captives and hostages must be returned and freed. This can, of course, be agreed upon; however, the question also has another side — what is being attributed to Minister Lavrov.

I do not believe that Mr. Lavrov, when speaking about captives, meant murderers and terrorists. Official Stepanakert has practically advocated for the release of innocent people for many years, those who accidentally crossed the border and ended up in enemy territory. We are talking about individuals who did not commit crimes, especially serious crimes. We have repeatedly stated that there were a large number of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan at one time. The Azerbaijani side has categorically denied these facts. Armenians were ‘registered’ as Azerbaijanis, given different names, used as slaves, and their organs were harvested. Since these people had their names changed, international organizations were unable to monitor their fate.

The situation is entirely different for criminals whose guilt has been proven through public trials involving international observers, journalists, and human rights defenders. Criminals who have been convicted by three judicial instances, rather than by a field court. I am absolutely convinced that Mr. Lavrov, a representative of the Russian authorities and a high-level diplomat, did not have in mind those criminals whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent children.

As experience shows, returning individuals who have committed murder and terrorist acts will lead to their immediate glorification back home. This means that, in terms of creating an atmosphere of trust, the outcome will be considerably worse. A gigantic dose of poison will be injected into the Azerbaijani public.”