An open letter to the Ombudsmen of European countries from the editorial board of the «European Ombudsman» magazine

Dear Ombudsmen!

The war in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was stopped almost twenty days ago. One of the conditions of the agreement on its termination was the return of the prisoners of war and the bodies of dead servicemen back to their homeland.

Unfortunately the cessation of hostilities agreement did not specify an exact time frame for the implementation of the clause of the agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war and the bodies of the dead. Considering that the territories where the battles took place are currently under the control of the Azerbaijani authorities, they use this circumstance as psychological pressure on the Armenian government in order to demonstrate themselves as winners and to destabilize the political situation in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh area.

Likely the Armenian government is unable to solve the existing problem completely.
Nowadays the parents of the prisoners of war and the parents of those who were killed are in the serious psychological condition. The situation is aggravated by the fact that some videos appeared in the social networks which contains footage of the cruel treatment of prisoners of war and the desecration of the bodies of the dead.

Based on that videos it is clear that the norms of international humanitarian law are being grossly violated.

If the situation gets out of control, there will be a threat to the young Armenian democracy established in the country as a result of the Velvet Revolution in the spring of 2018. The oligarchs, who have been overthrown by the people, are now ready for revenge.

To get out of this situation your intervention as a part of the community of European ombudsmen is required. Your word can influence the change in the existing situation.

We kindly ask you to show solidarity with the democratic government of Armenia and help it to return the soldiers exhausted in captivity, as well as the bodies of the dead to their parents.
Please inform your governments about the existing problem in order to participate to resolve it successfully.