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After receiving information about the abduction by Azerbaijan of a 22-year-old student who was being transported from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Armenia accompanied by Russian peacekeepers from the illegal checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, the Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Office initiated a study of the case. Furthermore, the ombudsperson immediately contacted colleagues from the competent bodies, the office reported on Monday.

"The issues related to other similar incidents that took place on the checkpoint were also discussed. The results will be analyzed and summarized, and letters will be addressed to authoritative international organizations with a mandate to protect human rights. The abduction by Azerbaijan of persons being transferred to Armenia through the mediation of international actors, including Russian peacekeepers, is condemnable and inadmissible," it said in a statement.

"The Human Rights Defender of Armenia emphasizes once more that this situation underscores gross violations of human rights by the Azerbaijani authorities, taking into consideration that international legal guarantees and standards universally recognized in the modern civilized world regarding interference with fundamental human rights are not observed," the HRD's Office added.