Tatoyan: Two Armenian minors captured by Azeri forces after crossing border from Syunik

Two teenage boys from Armenia’s Syunik Province were captured and taken to an unknown location by Azerbaijani forces after straying across the border near the village of Aravus last night, former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan claimed.

The Armenian National Security Service (NSS) reported that the minors, identified as Karen Jhangiryan (born June 27, 2007) and Andrey Gyagunts (born January 13, 2008), both residents of the Tegh community, lost their way and accidentally crossed into Azerbaijani territory at around 1:20 a.m.

In a social media post on Friday, Tatoyan again denounced the Azerbaijani military’s continued unlawful presence near Armenian communities.

“It's perfectly obvious that the two minors could not have posed any threat to the Azerbaijani armed forces that had been unlawfully deployed there following the criminal acts of the 2020-2022 war and have since made life unbearable for local residents,” he stated.

The ex-ombudsman also dismissed the Armenian leadership’s narratives about peaceful coexistence with Azerbaijan as misleading.

“This is the true face of ‘friendly’ and ‘peace-loving’ Azerbaijan that the shortsighted Armenian authorities, obsessed with clinging to power, insist we should trade with and live alongside.”

Tatoyan reiterated his call for the removal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory and the establishment of a buffer zone along the border to protect civilians.