Baku Returns the Body of Armenian Civilian Killed in Azeribaijani Captivity

YEREVAN — The body of Karen Petrosian, an Armenian civilian who was killed in Azerbaijani captivity, has been handed over to Armenia, APA agency reports.

The handover conducted by the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People and the Defense Ministry through the International Committee of the Red Cross in Bala Jafarli village of Gazakh region on October 10, 2014 passed without incident.

Petrosian, who lived in a borderland village in northeastern Armenia, was taken captive on August 7 after mistakenly appearing in the territory of Azerbaijan. Shocking images of him being dragged by masked soldiers were distributed to the media by authorities in Azerbaijan, in which he was being brutally forced to beg pardon from the president of Azerbaijan.

The next day, the Defense Ministry announced that he had “suddenly” died of “heart failure.”

On September 10 the Armenian side had applied to the European Court of Human Rights. requesting intervention under Rule 39 of the Court’s General Rules. The appeal called for Azerbaijan to immediately return the remains of Petrosyan to his family in a dignified state.

The European Court later asked Azerbaijan to give explanation of its “official position in connection with the repatriation of Karen Petrosian’s body.”