INTERPOL denies Azerbaijani disinformation

In a circular sent out to the INTERPOL member states on March 1, 2017 the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) for Azerbaijan announced international search for a group of foreign and Armenian researchers who had carried out archaeological excavations in the territory on the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in 2016.
The above-mentioned persons were announced wanted under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan:

* 116.0.8-3 (Infringement of norms of the international humanitarian right during confrontations: attack without military necessity on objects which are not in military purpose, clearly seen and distinctive, including especially protected historical, religious, educational objects, objects of art, scientific, charitable, medical objects or locations of patients and wounded persons);

* 165.2.2 (Infringement of author's or adjacent rights on preliminary arrangement by group of persons and by organized group);

* 183.2.1 (Plunder of subjects which have special value on preliminary arrangement by group of persons or by organized group)*

* 183.2.2 (the same action, committed repeatedly);

* 281.2 (Public appeals directed against the state committed repeatedly or by group of persons) and

* 318.02 (Illegal crossing border of the Azerbaijan Republic committed on preliminary arrangement by group of persons or organized group either with application of violence or with threat of its application).

Immediately after receiving the circulars, the National Central Bureau (NCB) for the Republic of Armenia provided the Interpol General Secretariat with necessary corroborations and clarifications, stating that the Azerbaijani side is once again trying to involve INTERPOL in politics and make it privy to political issues, which contradicts the 3rd Article of the organization's Constitution ("It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character") and threatens INTERPOL's reputation and good name.
The General Secretariat, in its turn, basing upon the well-grounded information provided by the Police of the Republic of Armenia, immediately responded, sending out the Interpol member-countries an appropriate circular on the same day, in which it was said that the circulating information about declaring the above-mentioned persons as wanted contradicts article 3 of the Interpol's Constitution, therefore those persons can in no way be declared internationally wanted.