Artsakh Human Rights Defender Ruben Melikyan (left) with detained Azerbaijani servicemen Elnur Huseynzade on Feb. 3, 2017 (Photo: Artsakh Ombudsman Press Office)

STEPANAKERT—Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Ruben Melikyan visited captured Azerbaijani serviceman Elnur Huseynzade on Friday, announced the Artsakh Ombudsman’s press service.

Huseynzade was detained on February 1 during an attempted raid in the northern direction of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan border—known as the Line of Contact—near Talish.

According to the press service, the soldier was provided with a public defender and a translator. There were no complaints about any health conditions or ill-treatment toward him.

Melikyan “expressed readiness to provide assistance, within his capacity, to uphold Elnur Huseynzade rights, including his right to a defense lawyer of choice,” read part of the statement.

“In a statement cited by Azerbaijani news agencies, it confirmed that Huseynzade served in the Azerbaijani army but claimed that he was demobilized ‘some time ago’ because of repeated violations of ‘military discipline’ and failure to report for duty,” reported RFE/RL.

Huseynzade’s mother, however, told the Azerbaijani news service Istipress.com on Thursday that he remained an active duty serviceman up until his capture, adding that her son became a contract soldier after completing a two-year compulsory military service in 2015.

Spokesperson for the Artsakh Defense Ministry Senor Hasratyan on Thursday stated that Azerbaijan was ready to abandon its soldier. “Refusing its own soldiers fully fits into Azerbaijani logic,” he said.