As Long as Offenders Are Not Held Accountable, People's Safe Living Will Remain Disrupted - Human Rights Defender

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, wrote on his Facebook page: “The large-scale war unleashed against Artsakh and Armenia since September 27, 2020, was accompanied by unprecedented war crimes and crimes against humanity by Azerbaijan.

On the very first day, during the bombardment of Martuni city in Artsakh, 9-year-old Viktoria Gevorgyan was killed in her backyard. Civilians from Artsakh, 69-year-old Genadi Petrosyan from Madatashen and 82-year-old Yuri Asryan from Azokh, were brutally beheaded; the entire process of the beheadings was filmed by Azerbaijani soldiers, who later spread their exceptional cynicism and partook in a 'celebration of glory.' During and after the war, civilians and military personnel were tortured and subjected to atrocities with the active participation of jihadists and terrorists. Targeted attacks and the use of prohibited weapons resulted in the destruction of civilian settlements. Armenian churches were desecrated and destroyed.

All of this was accompanied by rampant and cynical behavior through specially produced videos, deliberately filling Armenian social media with scenes of violence. The Azerbaijani assaults amid the COVID-19 pandemic were crimes against humanity that significantly increased the death toll, crippling the healthcare systems of Artsakh and Armenia. All of this was coupled with enormous propaganda of hatred and animosity that the Azerbaijani authorities actively promoted.

The events lead to an unequivocal conclusion: ethnic cleansing and genocidal policies have been implemented. We must not forget that under the patronage of the Azerbaijani state, the rhetoric of hatred and enmity has not only not diminished but has taken on extremist, fascist new forms. To this day, no perpetrators of war crimes have been punished. And as long as those responsible for the actions have not been held accountable, the politics of hatred and animosity will continue, the danger of atrocities will remain real, and people’s peaceful and secure life will continue to be disrupted.”