Armenia, Azerbaijan swap dead bodies

Under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) the bodies of two Azerbaijani soldiers and the body of a resident of Madakhis village (Nagorno Karabakh) were swapped on Saturday, according to a release by ICRC.

Earlier, Azerbaijani mass media reported the Azerbaijani side would return the body of Gavrush Arustamyan – an 81-year-old Armenian citizen killed on the contact line between Karabakh –and would get the bodies of two Azerbaijani officers Mubraz Ibrahimov and Farid Ahmedov.

The swap took place near Akna (Akhdam) at the place of Bash Kxervend, an area near the contact line.

“Though the exchange of bodies is a sad event, but the relatives of the dead person get the opportunity to weep and bury their family member,” said Helen Plenevo, head of ICRC office in Barda, who took part in the exchange operation. “We are happy the exchange process in NK conflict has accelerated now.”

Earlier this week Azerbaijan returned the body of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian shepherd who had according to the official version inadvertently crossed the border into Azerbaijan and been caught by Azerbaijani armed forces.

After some time in captivity he was reported by Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry and Military Prosecutor General’s Office to have committed suicide. The Armenian side dismissed the claim as untrue.

Following the repatriation of Saribekyan’s body a forensic examination in Armenia revealed he had been tortured in Azerbaijan with special cruelty.