At a press conference held in Yerevan on September 8, human rights defenders presented a report in which they accused Azerbaijan of inhuman treatment of Armenian prisoners of war during the last autumn aggravation of the Karabakh conflict. They have noted that the report is entirely based on evidence, the reliability of which had been confirmed.

Arman Tatoyan, the Armenian Ombudsperson, said that physical and psychological violence is used against both Armenian POWs and civilians.

Among the widespread torture of POWs, the Ombudsperson noted the deprivation of food and water; in some cases, food and water were given only after bullying and physical abuse.

According to Mr Tatoyan, physical violence was also used during medical examinations; and often by doctors: POWs were forced to withstand pain, when the injured places were deliberately hit. "There was a case when an Armenian POW was doused with boiling water and beaten up; he was unable to walk for more than 20 days because of the received burns," the Ombudsperson has stated.

There is information that in winter, in the cold, POWs were forced to sleep on the floor with their hands roped; they were naked, while the windows were open. Besides, they were doused with cold water and handcuffed to radiators.

According to Arman Tatoyan, civilians were also subjected to cruel treatment. "Witnesses tell that one of the captured civilians was beaten up until he died; and his body was left in the cell for several days," the Ombudsperson has added.

Human rights defenders have noted that it is necessary to introduce international monitoring mechanisms to fix violations and bring the violating party to justice. According to their version, Armenia has chances to achieve international sanctions against Azerbaijan.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 9, 2021 at 05:25 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.