Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Armenians held in Azerbaijan on December 24 and 25, holding private meetings with each detainee.
Zara Amatuni, Head of Communication Programs at the ICRC Armenia office, said in comments to 'Lurer' that the visits were conducted in line with the organization’s standard procedures.
“According to our organization’s procedures and format, our team members met individually with each of the detained persons in private interviews, with the aim of assessing detention conditions, health status, and the treatment they receive,” Zara Amatuni noted.
She added that since the ICRC no longer maintains a permanent representation in Baku, the visit was organized directly by the organization’s headquarters in Geneva.
“The ICRC is ready to continue its work in this direction,” Amatuni emphasized. "Considering that the organization, in addition to its willingness, also has the experience and has been meeting with these people for years and in this regard perhaps also distinguished itself with its mission, the work is very important as long as people are in prison and they are protected by international humanitarian law. In this regard, we consider that having access to these people in any format is very important in itself, and the opportunity to meet them even in this format is also positive. We hope that in the future we will be able to work in such a way," she added.
