Torture of Prisoners Motivated by Ethnic Hatred, Says Ombudsman

The Office of the Human Rights Defender has issued a statement indicating that the analysis of the materials in its possession shows that the torture and cruelty inflicted by Azerbaijani armed forces on Armenian prisoners of war and civilians are driven by motives of ethnic hatred. All materials will be sent to relevant international organizations as well as to state bodies of the Republic of Armenia with necessary characteristics.

The Ombudsman's statement reads: “Today we completed the analysis of 297 videos and photographs related to the atrocities committed by Azerbaijan against Armenian servicemen and civilians, as well as the destruction and desecration of Armenian historical, cultural, and religious heritage. These videos and photographs, in particular, concern (note: one person may be featured in multiple videos or photographs):

• 98 instances of torturing and degrading treatment of living prisoners;
• 17 beheadings and killings;
• 32 instances of desecration of the bodies of the dead and mutilation of body parts (for example, cutting off hands or ears);
• 54 instances of managing social media pages of captives, including the spread of hate and the distribution of a beheaded serviceman's photo via his page;
• 49 instances of the use of prohibited weapons, including those containing chemical elements, against civilian areas and wooded territories in Artsakh;
• 26 instances of destruction and vandalism of Armenian historical and cultural heritage, including monuments and churches;
• 12 instances of websites and social media pages (Telegram, Instagram, etc.) that disseminated hate and hostility, as well as videos or photographs of Azerbaijani atrocities against Armenian prisoners;
• 9 instances of the involvement or participation of mercenary terrorists in the war.

The videos have been translated into English, and some have been translated into Russian at this stage. Identifications have been made for nearly all the videos concerning living persons or the deceased. The authenticity of all videos and photographs is confirmed by the official logo of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia.

The study of the collected videos and photographs demonstrates that the torture and cruelty inflicted by Azerbaijani armed forces on Armenian prisoners are motivated by ethnic hatred. This means that these acts were committed solely because the victims were Armenian. By the same principle, the Armenian historical, cultural, and religious heritage, including monuments and churches, has been destroyed and subjected to vandalism.

The Azerbaijani authorities must understand that they will not remain unpunished for the gross violations of human rights, war crimes, and systematic incitement of hatred and genocidal policies.

The findings of the Human Rights Defender's investigations and analyses of complaints continually confirm that the Azerbaijani authorities, in gross violation of international humanitarian law and human rights requirements, are prolonging the release and repatriation of Armenian prisoners while deliberately not disclosing the true number of prisoners. This policy violates not only the rights of the Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan but also causes mental anguish to their families of the missing, intentionally contributing to tension within Armenian society.

All mentioned videos and photographs will be sent to relevant international organizations as well as to state bodies of the Republic of Armenia with necessary characteristics. The Human Rights Defender's office continues to collect and study evidence regarding Azerbaijani atrocities.