VIDEO: Azerbaijani Media Releases Staged Video of Officer Gurgen Alaverdyan 'Confessing'

Azerbaijani media outlets are disseminating a staged video in which captured officer Gurgen Alaverdyan "confesses." The video, which has appeared on several Azerbaijani websites, was produced with the assistance of relevant state structures in Azerbaijan. In it, Senior Lieutenant Gurgen Alaverdyan claims to have been born on August 14, 1989, in Martuni, Gegharkunik Province, and that he has served in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia since 2015.

Alaverdyan repeatedly uses the phrase "the occupied Karvachar" and states that he has carried out "diversionary attacks" alongside his commander Vazgen Vardanian. He also expresses regret for having served in "Azerbaijan's occupied territories," adding that "there are many like him" in the Armenian Armed Forces. "I want to remain in this country and be useful to Azerbaijan," Alaverdyan says, while also asserting that "the Armenians have no chance of winning."

It is pointless to fully reconstruct Alaverdyan's "confession," as a close look at the soldier's face suggests that he is reading from a text, and he does not always succeed in doing so, stammering as if attempting to clearly see a particular word. One can only speculate on what measures have been employed against the officer.

It is already known that Azerbaijani authorities have initiated criminal proceedings against Alaverdyan on five counts. In essence, the Azerbaijani authorities still have not determined whether to present Alaverdyan as a diverter or as a person who has switched to the enemy's side. It remains to be confirmed that the Azerbaijani authorities refuse to fulfill their international obligations regarding captives and detainees.