Artsakh President Bako Sahakian (right) meet with visiting Czech member of the European Parliament Jaromir Stetina
BAKU””An Azerbaijani court on Wednesday has issued arrest warrants for three members of the European Parliament who visited Artsakh to monitor the Constitutional referendum there on Monday. They are wanted for visiting Karabakh, as well as for acting as monitors of the referendum, which Baku deemed illegal.
Warrants were issued for Frank Engel of Luxembourg, Eleni Theocharous of Cyprus and Jaromir Stetina of the Czech Republic, who were among more than 100 monitors from 30 countries to visit Artsakh for Monday’s vote. They and other observers deemed the referendum, which overwhelmingly approved a new Constitution for Artsakh, democratic and fair.
Azerbaijani media reported Wednesday that Baku had asked Interpol to execute the arrest warrants. However, Armenia’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Armen Tatoyan told reporters on Thursday that according to Armenia’s national police the three members of the European Parliament are not wanted by Interpol.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan on Thursday called the criminal case against the legislators “ridiculous.”
