Krikor Amirzayan
At the Valence City Hall, Nicolas Daragon, Mayor of Valence, signed on July 18, 2023 the sponsorship act for Armenian prisoner of war Hrayr Herabyan, currently still being abusively detained by Azerbaijan.
The ceremony was organized with the Libertas collective, which is campaigning for the release of Armenian prisoners of war unlawfully detained by Baku. The Libertas collective was represented in Valence by Hilda Tchoboian from the Covcas center.
In his speech, Nicolas Daragon recalled the situation in Armenia and Artsakh with the Azeri aggression, as well as the fate of Armenian prisoners of war. Michel Valla, Mayor of Privas (capital of Ardèche), who came as a friend of Armenia, also testified on the struggle of Armenians for their dignity. "And even if the media are very little interested in Armenia, it is our duty to recall each time the fate of these Armenians attacked on their lands" said Michel Valla.
Hilda Tchoboian listed the cities and regions that had already sponsored one of the 33 Armenian prisoners of war. She stated that, beyond these 33 official prisoners, there remain more than 200 Armenian soldiers, fighters or civilians abducted by Azerbaijan and of whom there is still no news. These are the "forcibly disappeared". Baku did not report their presence, while the Armenian side has evidence of their abduction or illegal detention by Azerbaijan. "After the Armenian prisoners of war listed, the Libertas collective will also take action for these 200 forcibly disappeared and of whom there is no trace," she said.
