New Footage Emerges on Torture of Armenian Prisoners of War

A new video has surfaced regarding the torture of Armenian prisoners of war. The identities of three soldiers appearing in the footage have been confirmed, and the location has been identified. Human rights advocate Siranush Sahakyan, who protects the rights of Armenian prisoners of war at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), told Factinfo that there was information regarding abductions, after which the Armenian side received the bodies, further supporting the hypothesis that they were killed during captivity.

"This video undeniably confirmed that a larger number of Armenian prisoners of war have been executed," emphasized Siranush Sahakyan. In other words, we are dealing with yet another case of extrajudicial execution of prisoners of war. Sahakyan believes this is part of larger politics, and as long as accountability is not ensured, there will be nothing to prevent the commission of such crimes. The only solution is to ensure accountability and to hold the state and involved military personnel and commanders responsible for the crimes committed.

"As long as these accountability measures do not take effect, we will not see a change in behavior or policy," noted Sahakyan.

In response to the observation that Armenian prisoners of war are being brutally killed and their bodies handed over to the Armenian side as those of servicemen killed in battle, Sahakyan replied, "This is indeed what's happening. In such cases, the incident should be investigated in light of any doubts, including the mechanism of injury, which can reveal whether the death was due to gunfire in battle or if they were executed under physical control. Detailed medical examinations and investigations will be necessary here."

It should be noted that a video showing the atrocities committed by Azerbaijanis was circulated yesterday on Azerbaijani internet platforms, and the footage was deliberately shared while obscuring the faces of the Azerbaijani perpetrators to avoid later identification. The video shows Azerbaijani soldiers torturing Armenian servicemen. This incident relates to Azerbaijan's aggression in September. The Armenian Ministry of Defense informed Factinfo that the video is currently being studied.

Today, the Representative of Armenia for international legal matters told Factinfo that they are familiar with the video, which will be sent to the ECHR and the International Court of Justice. The representative also confirmed that the soldiers and the location visible in the footage have been identified, showing that the servicemen are alive and injured, but the bodies of the soldiers were returned as dead.

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office informed Factinfo that the media reports are being investigated.