Azerbaijanis Kidnap a Man: 'Hraparak'

The newspaper 'Hraparak' reports: 'Weeks ago, during agricultural activities near the village of Khachik in Vayots Dzor, Azerbaijanis kidnapped a local resident, 60-year-old Ashot Khachatryan. After holding him hostage for about a week, they returned him. We were told that he also faced violence during his captivity.

It is noteworthy that official bodies remain silent about this incident, with no announcements made because this fact demonstrates that, contrary to Prime Minister Pashinyan’s assurances that the Armenian-Azerbaijani borders are secured and under proper control, there are indeed significant dangers.'

Residents of Khachik have raised alarms that they feel abandoned. Khachik is part of the enlarged community of Areni, whose head, Husik Sahakyan, mentioned that he knows little about the incident. 'We found out he went missing one day and returned the next, I don’t know more,' he said.

Hovik Smbatyan, the head of the Khachik administrative district, also noted that it is about their fellow villager, the bachelor Ashot Khachatryan, and refused to answer further questions: 'The law enforcement agencies are already dealing with it; I have nothing to say. We, perhaps, fear journalists more than the Turks—you ask complicated questions, mixing everything up. His name is Ashot Khachatryan; for the rest, call the Ministry of Defense.'

Details to follow in today's issue of the newspaper.