ICRC REPRESENTATIVES LEFT FOR EQUATORIAL GUINEA TO HELP ARMENIAN PILOTS ARRESTED

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Foreign Ministry of Armenia continues taking steps to provide the necessary legal assistance to six Armenian pilots, who were detained in Equatorial Guinea March 8 on suspicion of complicity to an attempt of coup d'etat. As reported by the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN has addressed an official letter asking to examine the situation to the Special Envoy for Equatorial Guinea, who was heading for the country at the time. Besides, the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Commission on Human Rights met with the Equatorial Guinea delegation members, present at the Commission sittings, stating that when dealing with the Armenian citizens the country authorities have to be guided by norms of international human rights conventions. Yerevan has also addressed the Amnesty International organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) over the issue. Representatives of the latter have left for the capital of Malabo to study the conditions, under which the prisoners are kept, and to do what they can do to help them. In its turn the Amnesty International has made a statement, calling the authorities of Equatorial Guinea to refrain from violence against the convicts and to take care of their needs. It should be reminded that six officers of the Civil Aviation Department of Armenia were working in Equatorial Guinea since January, exploiting AN-12 plane registered in Armenia in compliance with a contract with "KAL" German company.