Investigation over Azerbaijani Tortures against Armenian Soldiers Continues

Human Rights Defender of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Melikyan

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—Human Rights Defender of Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Melikyan said the fact-finding activities on the tortures committed by the Azerbaijani forces against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic civilians and the Defense Army soldiers continue.

“It is quite time-consuming work. Now we are in contact with the respective structures, we have initiated a separate proceeding,” he said.

On April 10, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, carried out the exchange of bodies of the deceased between the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan near the Bash Karvend settlement. The bodies of 18 servicemen of the Karabakh Defense Army, fallen as a result of the large scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan in April 2-5, were transferred to the Karabakh side during the exchange.

At the presence of the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the NKR State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons registered that all bodies of the deceased transferred by the Azerbaijani side had been subjected to torture and mutilation.

On April 22, the Human Rights Defender of Nagorno-Karabakh submitted the report on the atrocities of the Azerbaijani armed forces committed during the period of April 2-5 against the civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the servicemen of the Defense Army to the international institutions. In particular, the report was sent to the United Nations (UN) and High Commissioners for Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, democratic institutions of the OSCE, the Human Rights Office, the institution of the European Ombudsman, the International Institute of the Ombudsman, etc. The report has been sent also to international human rights institutions – Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Association for the Prevention of Torture, as well as a number of other human rights organizations.”

“One of the most visible results was the report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) where many references are made to the report by the NKR Ombudsman, the NKR’s stance, but the report also presents the Azerbaijani stance. An attempt has been made to objectively reflect the reality since we must understand that despite our assessments are independent, this will be viewed as the Nagorno-Karabakh side’s document,” Melikyan said

He said the Human Rights Defender must present clearly the situation to its partner organizations.

“The report has been sent to the international structures with the purpose of spreading more information, bringing attention in order for people to pay much attention to the NKR events and follow the developments. In other words, in this case this is not a formal situation, it will be formal, for instance, in case of the international tribunals,” he said.

The Ombudsman’s report analyzes Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian, violating all international norms policy, as well as its terrible consequences with specific examples of brutality. The report discusses the objective assessments of the international prominent organizations over the Azerbaijani hatred and violence against people with the Armenian nationality, as well as it presents the hatred propaganda in the media and social networks.

Moreover, the report presents the consistent activities of hatred and violence propaganda by the Azerbaijani officials, as well as other public figures.