Alaverdyan: Test results are aggravating circumstance for Azerbaijan

During his captivity in Azerbaijan, 77-year-old Mamikon Khojoyan, a resident of Verin Karmiraghbyur village in Armenia’s Tavush province, was injected with psychotropic drugs and substances that contained oil products and were dangerous to life and health, according to the official results of M. Khojoyan’s blood and urine tests.

The first Armenian Ombudswoman, executive director of Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO Ms. Larisa Alaverdyan told the correspondent of Aysor.am that the results of the Armenian captive’s blood rests are an aggravating circumstance for Azerbaijan.

“In fact, the initial suspicions have been confirmed that during captivity Mamikon Khojiyan was brought into such a state that his condition began to deteriorate after he was handed over to the Armenian side. Azerbaijan thus tried to avoid responsibility,” L. Alaverdyan said.

In her words, the preparatory phase of a lawsuit to the European Court of Human Rights will finish soon and the test results will also be included in that suit.

“As for psychotropic drugs, it is an accepted practice in Azerbaijan. As early as 1990s, there were cases when captives were injected with such drugs so that they did not feel hungry and tired and would continue to work constantly. These steps of Azerbaijan are anti-humane,” Larisa Alaverdyan noted.

When asked about the date of filing a lawsuit to the ECHR, L. Alaverdyan said she will give more concrete information next week when the tests’ results are examined in detail.

77-year-old Mamikon Khojoyan was subjected to tortures while held captive by Azerbaijan for about a month. Numerous traces of torture were found on the elderly man’s body after his release. M. Khojoyan died on May 20.