Armenia’s Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan received recently repatriated soldier Hakob Injighulyan and his family on October 8.According to the Ministry of Defence’s press release, Seyran Ohanyan thanked Injighulyan for his courage and patriotism while in captivity.
Injighulyan presented details of the inhumane treatment by Azerbaijanis and the psychological and physical pressures he endured.The Minister told Injighulyan that he hopes he may move on quickly from the nightmare he lived over the past year. Ohanyan also noted that the Azerbaijani actions against Injighulyan are proof that Azerbaijan has developed specific policies that subject captive soldiers to psychological pressures, torture, and through death threats, force them into a third country. With that, they aim to show that the Armenian Armed Forces and the NKR Defence Army have subjected soldiers to intolerable conditions, and that the soldiers who have “crossed” the border do not wish to return.
At the end of the meeting, Seyran Ohanyan praised Injighulyan for expressing to continue his service in the army despite all he’s been through. The Defence Minister commissioned a full medical examination for Injighulyan and implored him to continue to pursue his education.
After more than a year in Azerbaijani captivity, Hakob Injighulyan was repatriated to Armenia in the early morning hours of October 1. Injighulyan accidentally crossed the Karabakh-Azerbaijan border in early August 2013, after getting lost while serving his time in the army. He was held captive in Azerbaijan for a year, before being moved to a third country.
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