Armenian soldier cuts ear off Azeri enemy in shocking footage amid claims Yerevan behind war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh (GRAPHIC)

RT- Russia Today
Dec 12 2020

More disturbing allegations of human rights abuses in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have come to light, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of war crimes during bloody fighting over the disputed region.

News channels on the Telegram messaging service allege that an unverified video shows Armenian soldiers cutting an ear off a fallen Azeri soldier, before holding it up to the camera as a grizly trophy.

A number of disturbing images and clips have emerged from the violent conflict, with Azerbaijani and Armenian social media users taking to the internet to argue that the other side is responsible for atrocities.

Amnesty International, a human rights NGO, announced on Thursday that it had authenticated 22 videos arising from the conflict, which show executions, abuse of prisoners and desecration of the bodies of those who have died.

Of the 22 potential war crimes verified, 14 were said to have been perpetrated by Armenian soldiers, including videos involving the severing of ears from corpses. In another, a man speaking Armenian cut the throat of a gagged and bound Azeri border guard.

"The depravity and lack of humanity captured in these videos shows the deliberate intention to cause ultimate harm and humiliation to victims, in clear violation of international humanitarian law," said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International's head of research in Central Asia.