Epress.am News from Armenia
Family, friends, and neighbors of army conscript Hakob Injighulyan, who has been held captive in Azerbaijan for nearly 9 months, today demonstrated outside the Yerevan office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Speaking to Epress.am, those gathered said they came to Yerevan from the village of Voskevaz in Aragatsotn marz (province) to get a clear and final answer from relevant bodies: "We have been waiting for so many months in uncertainty — it's more than enough. We gave a soldier, after all, and we've come to ask for our child."
Hakob's brother, Harutyun Injighulyan, told the Epress.am correspondent on the scene that waiting patiently for 9 months has yielded no results
Hakob's father, Gurgen Injighulyan, added that the last letter they received from their son was on February 22, and they have received no news since then: "We are expecting a normal answer; otherwise, we'll take drastic measures."
Later, head of the ICRC delegation to Armenia Sarah Epprecht met with Hakob's parents and brother and told them that, according to information from the UN office, the process of searching for a third country has begun.
"We asked for more details and to keep us informed as soon as possible. We brought the letter Hakob wrote, but they didn't accept it today; they said, 'leave it till the end of April'," said Harutyun.
The ICRC representative's response, however, didn't satisfy those gathered, and they decided to cross the street and enter the office: "Let's enter the building, request an answer — why are we feeling pity? They are deceiving us, putting a soft pillow beneath our heads, making us out to be idiots."
Upon their request, Epprecht (pictured below, left) got out of her office and spoke with those gathered.
"Our organization is not a part of the UN, but our joint efforts continue. We want to make sure that we can continue visiting him and that he can continue communicating with his family, and that is the role that we play, and we will continue to play that role. The ICRC is the only organization that has this role today. I hope that everyone will agree and understand that it's important that he receives visitors. And we know that a lot of people are frustrated and upset and worried too, and we know that a lot of time has passed already, and we also hope that this situation can be resolved.
"I know that all of you have come today to ask your questions — I will convey all these concerns to my colleagues in Baku. Our doors are always open for members of Hakob's family; we will do everything so that we can help in some way. The process will take a long time — you have to wait," she said.
After this reply, those gathered rushed to the presidential palace at Baghramyan 26, to ask for a reply to a letter that was sent to the Armenian president 9 months ago.
"We delivered my brother to the Armenian army — where is he? Why isn't he here? There hasn't been a single answer or explanation from our leaders up to today," said Hakob's brother.
The Injighulyan family presented an appeal letter to the Desk for Reception of Citizens, Proposals, Appeals and Claims of the Presidential Oversight Service, where they were informed that the letter will be delivered to the president within two days' time.