Cases of Violence Against Armenian Female Soldiers by Azerbaijan Must Be Investigated and Lead to Appropriate Punishments: Armenia's Ombudsman

Armenia's Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan has addressed the incidents of violence and humiliation against Armenian female soldiers by Azerbaijani armed forces within the framework of the annual international campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence." In September of this year, during Azerbaijan's military aggression against Armenia, cases of violence, humiliation, and particularly cruel treatment against Armenian female soldiers, based on their ethnicity and gender, are strongly condemnable.

These incidents must undergo objective examination and lead to appropriate punishments. The atrocities perpetrated by the Azerbaijani armed forces underscore the extremely dangerous nature of violence rooted in gender hatred, especially during international armed conflicts. It is particularly concerning that reports of hate crimes based on gender and ethnic affiliation received approval and encouragement from thousands of Azerbaijani real users during and after Azerbaijan's military attack on Armenia on September 13-14 of this year.

The lack of punishment for the perpetrators and the absence of sincere efforts by states to counter such public attitudes will only reinforce the sense of impunity of any criminal act committed on the basis of gender and ethnic hatred, regardless of the victims' nationality.