The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Youth Organization of Armenia and the ARF “Nikol Aghbalian” Student Association organized a demonstration Friday outside of Armenia’s National Security Service headquarters.

The demonstrators demanded that the Azerbaijani serviceman who entered Armenian territory and attacked a mother and her children not be extradited to Azerbaijan, but instead be held accountable in Armenia and exchanged for Armenian compatriots currently being held captive in Baku.

Protesters carried banners reading: “The Return of Armenian Captives Is a Priority,” “Next Time It Could Be Your Family,” “The State’s Role Is to Prevent, Not Simply Record,” and “Syunik—Open to Azerbaijanis, Sponsored by the NSS.”

Taron Manukyan, a member of the Central Executive of the ARF Youth Organization of Armenia, said he and other protesters were standing outside the NSS headquarters with a “great sense of shame,” because they were being forced to demand that the Azerbaijani serviceman who violated Armenia’s border and shot an Armenian woman in the presence of her children not be handed over to Azerbaijan.

“We have found ourselves in a situation where an Azerbaijani serviceman opens fire on an Armenian mother, and it is possible that he could be extradited as a gesture of goodwill, as we have seen happen in the past,” Manukyan said.

“Our demand is the following: he must not be handed over to the enemy. The only acceptable precondition for his transfer to Azerbaijan is his exchange for one of our Armenian servicemen held captive. Any other arrangement is unacceptable to us,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, Azerbaijani presidential Hikmet Hajiyev had said that official Baku was concerned about some trends in Armenian society, in particular, the presence of forces with significant influence and the youth in Armenia.

“Another worrying factor is that revanchist sentiments persist among Armenian youth. This is an important circumstance. That is why we call also on Armenia’s government to actively work towards preparing its society for peace,” Hajiyev said.

“I address my words to Hajiyev: if you are taking steps to establish peace with the Armenian people, then release the Armenian captives. Armenian youth will regard that as the strongest tangible evidence of your commitment to peace. Otherwise, all of your claims are simply false,” said Stella Hunanyan, a member of the ARF Youth Organization Central Executive, in response to Hajiyev’s statement.

Speaking to reporters about the possibility that the Azerbaijani serviceman who shot an Armenian woman in the village of Shaki in Syunik could be extradited to Azerbaijan, Garnik Danielyan, a member of the ARF Supreme Council of Armenia, recalled the case involving the killing of a security guard in Syunik.

“I want to remind you of the case involving the murder of a security guard in Syunik, when the criminal was sent back to Azerbaijan, where he was awarded honors and laurels, where he was practically turned into a hero, just as they glorified Ramil Safarov and others like him,” Danielyan said, referring to the Azerbaijani soldier who killed an Armenian serviceman with an axe during a NATO training seminar in Hungary.

“The entire responsibility for this falls on the authorities of Armenia. It is because of the authorities allowing such incidents to happen, and because there are no consequences, these types of incidents will continue to be repeated. Unfortunately, these developments will continue because those responsible are not punished, while Armenia acts as though nothing has happened,” he added.

According to Danielyan, the incident must first be investigated and assessed within the Republic of Armenia, while the position of the affected family must also be taken into consideration during any subsequent negotiations.

“He must first be convicted in Armenia. Our society is not aware of the details of what happened. The case is being covered up. Cases that are sufficiently serious and of public importance are not being made known to the public,” Danielyan said.

Addressing Armenia’s security challenges and the issue of external assistance, Danielyan said that Armenia’s security concerns cannot be resolved by Russia or the United States.

“There are issues that we must resolve ourselves. America is not going to come and protect our Armenian women or our children in our place. So who is supposed to come and protect us and our homes? First and foremost, we must understand the depth of the crisis we are facing,” he said.