Artsakh authorities say they have identified the Azerbaijani soldier who shot and killed Seyran Sargsyan, a resident of the village of Tchartar, on December 3.

The Artsakh Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), in a statement released today, reports that in conjunction with Russian peacekeepers, have identified the Azerbaijani soldier as Private Rahimzade Gabiloghlu.

The 65-year-old Sargsyan was grazing his cattle, lost his way, and was captured and killed near Tchartar in Artsakh’s Martuni District.

The Artsakh PGO says that a Russian military prosecutor visited the scene of the incident and listened to testimony provided by Azerbaijani eyewitnesses.

Russian peacekeepers are now negotiating to have Sargsyan’s body handed over to Artsakh authorities.

The Artsakh PGO refutes Azerbaijani claims that Sargsyan was shot as he prepared to attack an Azerbaijani military outpost.

“The Artsakh side has convincing and undeniable evidence, including a full video, which proves that a citizen of Artsakh was forcibly abducted from an area called Jurusu which is currently considered a neutral zone”, the PGO’s statement reads.