Supporters of Armenian POWs detained in Moscow

At the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), policemen have detained six protesters, who demanded the release of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) from Azerbaijan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the "Action of Silence" with a demand of immediate return of Armenian POWs from Azerbaijan was held on April 15 in Yerevan at the UN office and at the Russian Embassy. The Armenian Diaspora has launched a series of similar actions abroad.

As part of the "Action of Silence" activists went out to a protest near the Russian MFA and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow. The action was organized by the Armenian community of Moscow, said David Tonoyan, one of the protesters.

At the building of the Russian MFA, detentions began immediately after the start of the action, the activist said. "Six people were detained, but there were many more participants. We just dispersed so that the police would not detain others," Mr Tonoyan has stated.

Azerbaijan has confirmed the presence of only nine POWs kept there, said Ani Samsonyan, a member of the parliamentary human rights commission, an MP from the "Enlightened Armenia" oppositional faction. POWs may be among the soldiers who regarded as missing. By November 27, 2020, the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly had compiled a list of 586 missing Armenian military servicemen.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 15, 2021 at 08:41 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.