A screenshot of a video showing Azerbaijani forces executing Armenian soldiers
The inhumane and brutal treatment of several female Armenian soldiers in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s invasion of Armenia has been mentioned in the State Department’s annual human rights report, which also cites the illegal execution-style killing of Armenian troops at the hands of Azerbaijani soldiers.
Soon after the aggressive breach by Azerbaijan of Armenia’s sovereign territory in September, footage depicting the brutal treatment of an Armenian soldier surfaced. Soon after, another video showing a different female Armenian soldier also made the rounds on social media sites, picked up by news organizations.
At the same time, another video depicting the execution-style killing of Armenia soldiers who were captured by Azerbaijani forces, created further uproar at the time, with Armenia’s human rights defender’s office dispatching special reports to international organizations.
The State Department cites reports by Human Rights Watch and the Belingat news portal, both of which separately investigated the killing of Armenian soldiers.
Azerbaijan’s attacks on civilian infrastructures, specifically the targeting of emergency vehicles has also been mentioned in the State Department report.
“There are credible reports that during the September conflict, Azerbaijani forces committed unlawful killings involving summary executions of Armenian soldiers in Azerbaijani custody,” said the State Department.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross studied the cases of missing persons as a result of the conflict with Azerbaijan. It is noted that after the 2020 war, 203 people (including 20 civilians) are considered missing, and three military personnel are considered missing as a result of the September 13-14 conflict,” added the report.
The State Department also presented cases of violations of human rights in Armenia, including the use of force by the security forces, bad conditions in prisons, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on freedom of speech.
