Petition update
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Since the end of the 44-day war in Artsakh and the subsequent conclusion of the trilateral ceasefire agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russian Federation, 72 Armenian POWs have been released from illegal captivity in Azerbaijan and safely repatriated to Armenia, the newest case being the return of three Armenian captives on May 4. Over 230 Armenian detainees are still illegally held in Azerbaijan [1].
On May 3, the representatives of the Armenian POWs at the European Court of Human Rights, S. Sahakyan and A. Zeynalyan have published a list of detainees who were brutally abused and have died in captivity as a result of inhumane treatment. It contained 19 names, including 7 servicemen and 12 civilians (among them four women). This blatant war crime and recent developings regarding the torture and killing of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees were presented to ECHR [2].
Since our last update, the British Armenian humanitarian group has continued to actively address letters to various international organizations responsible for human rights protection, demanding the immediate and unconditional release and repatriation of all detained Armenians. We have penned letters to the representatives of the UN, Council of Europe, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross, thus:
· voicing our concern over their seeming indifference towards the POW crisis;
· demanding a forceful condemnation of the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani government;
· demanding justice for unlawful mistreatment and brutal murders of Armenian servicemen and civilians in captivity.
Some of our letters have found their answers, assuring us that the institutions mentioned above are closely following the situation and will use every available measure at their disposal to raise questions concerning the human rights situation in the conflict zone [3].
On May 20, the European Parliament has adopted a joint cross-party resolution, co-signed by 47 Members of the European Parliament, representing the five biggest political groups in the parliament. [4] The European Parliament expressed deep concern about the reports on the degrading conditions, the inhuman treatment and torture of many Armenian hostages by the Azerbaijani authorities. Moreover, the EP raised the issue of the Azerbaijani refusal to cooperate with relevant international organizations such as the ICRC and called on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop prohibiting the access to the Armenian prisoners for the representatives of these organizations or other lawyers, doctors and human rights defenders. [5]
Baku blatantly neglects the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on providing information on Armenian servicemen and civilians held in Azerbaijani captivity. Despite the growing pressure from the international community, Azerbaijani authorities, encouraged with sense of impunity, have filed bogus criminal cases against Armenian POWs, servicemen Lyudvik Mkrtchyan, Alyosha Khosrovyan, civilian Vicken Euljekjian [6] among others, labeling them as ‘terrorists’ and ‘saboteurs’ and have initiated criminal prosecution against them. Under the international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, they are considered prisoners of war and should have been immediately released after the end of hostilities [7].
Thank you for signing the petition and continuing to share it!
Increasing pressure from the international community over the past month allows us to hope that our 230 compatriots still in detention will soon be able to return home.
Our mission is not yet fulfilled; we are not stopping #UntilTheyAreHome
British Armenian group
E-mail: info@britisharmenian.org
Twitter: twitter.com/arm_brit
Facebook: facebook.com/BritishArmenian