‘Azerbaijanis stood on high ground and jumped on the backs of captives’: Parent of a soldier returned from captivity

“A little thing is heard saying, ‘Mom, was it from the gunfire?’,” the mother of a soldier who returned from captivity describes her son's psychological struggles in one sentence, as reported by Forrights. The 19-year-old serviceman endured inhumane physical and psychological abuses for over 20 days while held in enemy Azerbaijan along with fellow soldiers. The harshest treatment was inflicted on them at the Azerbaijani military police.

Beatings occurred for sitting, sleeping, leaning anywhere, and for all other actions if they violated the enemy’s demand to remain stationary. The father and mother mentioned that their son went through these horrors for three days before being transferred to a prison.

“Azerbaijani military personnel came and went, striking them on the heads and backs. He recounted being forced to kneel and walk like a dog; the Azerbaijanis stood in high places and jumped on the backs of the captives,” the parents share details of the enemy’s inhumane practices and emphasize that they forced the Armenian soldiers to fight each other.

However, the Armenian soldiers on enemy soil found ways to protect one another. “They made the boys fight each other, pitting friends against one another; those who surrendered were beaten. My son said they coordinated so that the stronger ones deliberately lost, so the blows would fall on them,” the parents explained.

The parents of the soldier returned from captivity raise alarm that their son has developed serious physical and psychological issues as a result of everything, and now the Ministry of Defense wants to send him back to the army after his return home. Speaking on condition of anonymity, as they fear that discussing their son’s issues publicly may worsen the situation rather than resolve it, the father and mother express their concerns: they note that their son is depressed, interpersonal problems may arise in the military unit, and they predict the worst.