Freed POWs show victory of humanity against torture: Zarif

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the freed Iranian prisoners of war, known as Azadegan in Farsi, have shown through patience and resistance the victory of humanity and dignity over torture.
Zarif made the remarks in a message on the occasion of the anniversary of the return of POWs to the country.
The first group of Iranian soldiers captured by Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s war against Iran returned to the country two years after the end of the war.
Iraq launched war on Iran in 1980 which lasted until the summer of 1988.
Also, President Hassan Rouhani said in a message that the Iranian people are proud of the Azadegan.
“The grateful Iranian nation is proud of the steadfastness and strength of its respectful war veterans and pays tribute to the patience and endurance of these models of resilience,” he wrote in the message to the National Congress of Shining Diamonds.
Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), also said on Sunday that the freed POWs are valuable assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
During a meeting with a group of IRIAF staff who were among the freed POWs, Nasirzadeh said that Azadegan are role model for resistance and patience who went through sufferings to protect the revolution and the country.
NA/PA