The HRD institution collected facts regarding the kidnapping of Vagif Khachatryan by Azerbaijan, Artsakh HRD Gegham Stepanyan wrote on his Facebook page.

"On June 29, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the agreement reached in advance with the Azerbaijani side, the convoy transporting medical patients from Artsakh to Armenia reached the illegal Azerbaijani "checkpoint" located near the Hakari bridge around 09:30.

During checking passports, a resident of the Patara community of the Republic of Artsakh in 1955. Vagif Khachatryan, born into the question of Vagif Khachatryan's daughter and ICRC representative why they are not returning the passport, the Azerbaijanis answered that they would give it in 5 minutes.

During that time, Vagif Khachatryan was escorted to the medical room in the illegal "checkpoint" of Azerbaijan, where he was asked questions about his health and inquired about the reasons for moving to Armenia.

Then Vagif Khachatryan was informed that he should be escorted to one of the rooms near the "checkpoint" for 15 minutes to ask a few questions. Vagif's daughter and ICRC representative insisted they could solve the issues at the checkpoint itself; moving to another place was unnecessary. After that, the Azerbaijanis threatened to do it by force. At the same time, according to testimonies, many Azerbaijani officers armed with assault rifles gathered near the "checkpoint."

Vagif Khachatryan and the foreign representative of the ICRC Stepanakert office were put in a "Niva" car, which went to the lower part of the Hakari bridge. About 10 minutes later, the ICRC representative returned to the "checkpoint" in a "Chevrolet" car, and Vagif Khachatryan was taken in an unknown direction. According to the testimony, the Azerbaijanis pushed the ICRC representative out of the vehicle.

All these actions took place in the presence of Vagif Khachatryan's daughter, who tried to do everything possible to prevent her father's kidnapping, but she was threatened with the use of force. 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan has cardiovascular disease and was transferred to Nork Marash Medical Center in Yerevan for surgery.

Before transporting the patients to the medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia, the ICRC receives the consent of all parties, including the Azerbaijani side; accordingly, after the agreement, the ICRC bears the responsibility for the safe transportation of these persons.

The criminal case initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan against Vagif Khachatryan and his so-called detention within its framework is a false pretext for kidnapping him. According to the information obtained by the RA Human Rights Defender staff and the studies carried out, it was confirmed that there is no information regarding Vagif Khachatryan's search in any international intelligence system.

Therefore, Vagif Khachatryan is a person under international humanitarian protection; for the protection of whose rights the human rights defender of Artsakh requires the International Committee of the Red Cross to issue a public statement giving a legal assessment of this Azerbaijani crime to take all actions arising from the mandate of the ICRC to return Vagif Khachatryan to Artsakh. To protect Vagif Khachatryan's rights until his return and to exclude manifestations of torture, torture, and inhumane treatment towards him.

Present facts to international organizations and the governments of individual states regarding the kidnapping of Azerbaijan's citizens of the Republic of Artsakh and the systematic crimes committed against the people of Artsakh, with the undeniable aim of ethnic cleansing and genocide, to ensure the necessary international pressure.

To the international organizations, to take as a basis the alarm sounded by the International Committee of the Red Cross and several international human rights organizations regarding the large-scale violations of the rights of the people of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, to apply coercive and punitive measures against Azerbaijan to fulfill the obligations assumed internationally.

According to the Trilateral Declaration of 2020, the Lachin Corridor, which also includes the Hakari Bridge, is under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. The abduction of Vagif Khachatryan took place a few meters away from the base of the Russian peacekeeping troops stationed near the Hakari bridge, and the peacekeepers took no action to prevent it.

Taking into account the fact that the Lachin Corridor is considered an area under the control of Russian peacekeepers and the Russian Federation is the guarantor of the implementation of the provisions of the tripartite declaration, the Russian Federation should take all actions to return Vagif Khachatryan to Artsakh and restore complete control over the Lachin Corridor, preventing Azerbaijan from Kidnapping of Artsakh citizens the repetition of events".