Epress.am News from Armenia
Resident of the village of Verin Karmiraghbyur of Tavush marz (province) Arsen Khojoyan, 22, who on March 7 crossed the border into Azerbaijan, is now back in Armenia.
"An Armenian citizen who had been interned in Baku, Azerbaijan, was repatriated today under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The man was placed in the care of Armenian officials on the road between the Azerbaijani town of Gazakh and the Armenian town of Ijevan, at the international border," reads the official statement issued by the ICRC.
The statement continues: "ICRC delegates had visited the civilian prior to his repatriation in order to assess the conditions in which he was being held and the treatment he received. Representatives of the organization had also been in contact with his family in Armenia.
"Acting as a neutral intermediary and in accordance with its mandate, the ICRC facilitated this repatriation in conjunction with the Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities. The internee had previously confirmed to the ICRC delegates that he was returning of his own will."
Khojoyan's mother, Svetlana Khojoyan, informed Epress.am that she learned of her son's return 15 minutes ago (around 2:30 pm) and the family is now going to Ijevan. According to her, Arsen is in hospital, where he will be examined prior to be taken to Yerevan.
Photo: archival photo