NSS Initiates Criminal Case Regarding Narek Sardarayan's Abduction in Azerbaijan

The National Security Service has initiated a criminal case following the case of Narek Sardarayan, a 30-year-old resident of Nerkhin Khndzoresk, who was found in Azerbaijan. The case is based on Article 329 and Article 131 of the RA Criminal Code, regarding illegal crossing of the state border and abduction.

This was stated by Arthur Gevorgyan, the head of the NSS press center, in response to a query from Armenpress.

On July 8, 2020, at around 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Narek Sardarayan disappeared while grazing his livestock in the administrative territory of the Gorayk community in the Syunik province, near the border with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Born in 1990, he is a citizen of the Republic of Armenia.

The NSS has established that Sardarayan became lost while searching for missing livestock and inadvertently crossed into the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, where he was taken captive.

Sardarayan is described as a patriotic, calm, and hardworking individual who has never had issues with local self-government or law enforcement agencies. He has a family and minor children for whom he provides care.

Currently, measures are being taken to facilitate Narek Sardarayan's return to Armenia.

Artak Zeynalyan, the representative of Sardarayan's legal successor, reported that the European Court of Human Rights approved an urgent request on July 22 regarding the case of Narek Sardarayan, who is being held in Azerbaijan.

According to Zeynalyan, the European Court has demanded that Azerbaijan take the following actions: provide information on Narek Sardarayan's whereabouts and conditions, provide information on his health status (with verified medical documents if available), clarify whether a medical examination has been conducted by an independent specialist, whether a criminal case has been opened against him, and if so, to provide all relevant details and documents, including any charges against him.

The ECHR also prioritized the complaint and set a deadline for filing the main complaint while establishing a timeline for actions expected from the respondent state.