Most Videos Regarding Torture and Inhuman Treatment Are Reality, Says Armenia's Ombudsman

Today, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan announced that the majority of videos attributed to the Azerbaijani armed forces regarding the desecration of the bodies of Armenian soldiers and the torture and inhumane treatment of captured individuals are false. It was also stated that criminal proceedings have been initiated and those responsible will be held accountable.

This was noted by Armenia's Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on his Facebook page. The Human Rights Defender of Armenia asserts that the majority of videos concerning torture and inhumane treatment are indeed real. They have been documented as evidence by the Armenian and Artsakh sides and have been presented and continue to be presented to international bodies as appropriate.

Regarding the accountability of the perpetrators, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia also states that these atrocities, torture, and inhumane treatment constitute war crimes. These acts have not been carried out by isolated Azerbaijani soldiers acting independently of one another; instead, they are an inseparable part of Azerbaijan's organized political policy aimed at ethnic cleansing and genocide in Artsakh, the result of years of accumulated and state-sponsored anti-Armenian sentiment in Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, these atrocities have been propagated with the intent to inflict psychological suffering on the Armenian society, create tension, and thereby garner acclaim and the illusion of 'heroism' within their own society. Therefore, attributing responsibility solely to individual soldiers is not sufficient; the direct responsibility for these acts of torture and inhumane treatment rests with the Azerbaijani authorities.