U.S. Calls for Release of Azerbaijanis Held in Karabakh

Jen Psaki, U.S. State Department Spokesperson.

“We’ve previously advocated through Ambassador Warlick and others the release of these two prisoners [Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Quliyev] to the Government of Azerbaijan.” This is what Jen Psaki, Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department said during a daily press briefing on February 23.

A reporter wanted to know what the U.S. position was regarding two Azerbaijani nationals, Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Quliyev, who were convicted last year by a court in Nagorno Karabakh for the murder of an Armenian teenager and a number of other offenses. The Azerbaijani saboteurs were captured by authorities in July 2014 in Karabakh. Authorities there said that the Azerbaijanis would not be treated as POWs but as criminals.

During a recent visit to the region, U.S. Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland urged relevant authorities to make a humanitarian gesture and release the two saboteurs to Azerbaijan. The reporter during the U.S. State Department briefing wanted to know exactly what the U.S. is seeking and how they could justify this move.

Jen Psaki responded, “Well, we’ve previously advocated through Ambassador Warlick and others the release of these two prisoners to the Government of Azerbaijan. We – she also urged relevant authorities to return the two prisoners to the Government of Azerbaijan. The sides have generally found a way in the past to return prisoners as a humanitarian gesture, and such humanitarian gestures have been shown to reduce tensions and build trust between the sides. So that’s what she was referring to.”

During an interview with Mediamax, the spokesperson of Karabakh’s Foreign Ministry said that “the decision of the court must be respected by all sides, as it is practiced in the developed world.”

Azerbaijani saboteurs Dilham Askerov, Shahbaz Quliyev and Hasan Hasanov entered the territory of Nagorno Karabakh on July 10, 2014 on a reconnaissance mission. During an operation to neutralize the saboteurs, an Armenian officer was killed and a woman injured. The saboteurs had also killed a teenager from the village of Nor Erkech Smbat Tsakanyan. On July 11, the Azerbaijani side appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the capture of their three saboteurs.

On July 14, as the operation to capture the Azerbaijanis continued, Hasan Hasanov was killed. Officials say that Guliyev and Askerov will not be treated as POWs, but as criminals. The Armenian defense ministry charges the Azerbaijani government with “hiring a criminal group” to engage in espionage on Armenian territory.

On October 2, 2014, his body was returned to the Azerbaijani side.

During a trial held in Nagorno Karabakh, Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Quliyev, who were charged with illegal trespassing, spying, being in possession of illegal guns and ammunition, kidnapping and murder were sentenced to life and 22 years in prison, respectively.