ArmInfo. In April, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives again visited all the Armenian detainees notified by the Azerbaijani authorities. This is stated in the message of the Baku representative office of the ICRC.
" The detainees were met in private and were given a possibility to exchange family news. According to its mandate, during such visits, the ICRC assesses the treatment of detainees and conditions of detention and helps to ensure that the detained individuals can restore or maintain contact with their families. As per the ICRC's procedures, the observations and recommendations related to its visits are only shared with the detaining authorities," the source reports.
The exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons is still not known. According to experts, there are several hundred of them. Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are 8 former and current representatives of the military-political leadership of Artsakh. These are former Presidents of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs David Babayan, as well as Speaker of Parliament David Ishkhanyan, ex-commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, General Levon Mnatsakanyan, General David Manukyan and ex-Minister of State Ruben Vardanyan.