No international organisation, world leader or Western democracy has condemned the continuous invasion of Armenian borders by Azerbaijani forces since 12 May 2021. Today, the Azerbaijani troops occupy over 42km within the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. On the ground, this means that the human rights of innocent civilians and servicemen are further violated, villages and homes under occupation, livelihoods shattered, and new Armenian hostages taken.
On 11 January 2022, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, once again violating the provisions of the ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020, launched an attack in the direction of the village of Verin Shorzha in the Gegharkunik region. This act of military aggression is a continuation of Azerbaijan’s consistent policy to occupy the territories of the Republic of Armenia, which began on 12 May 2021, when Azerbaijani forces, violating the territorial integrity of Armenia, had invaded the Syunik and Gegharkunik regions of Armenia. On 11 January 2022, three young Armenian servicemen, Rudik Gharibyan (2002), Artur Mkhitaryan (2002) and Vahan Babayan (2003), died because of Azerbaijan’s use of military drones - supplied by Turkey- in the territory of the Republic of Armenia.
Earlier, on 16 November 2021, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan launched an attack in the Eastern direction of the border and invaded the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia (in the directions of Sisian, Jermuk). On 16 November 2021, 32 Armenian servicemen were captured by the Azerbaijani forces during battles in the directions of Sisian and Jermuk, 6 servicemen are still being held captive [1]. Moreover, bodies of 6 killed Armenian hostages were returned from Baku:
· On 17 November 2021, bodies of senior lieutenant Taron Sahakyan (1990), private Gurgen Sargsyan (1990), junior sergeant Artur Martirosyan (1998) were returned,
· On November 19, 2021, the body of Arsen Gasparyan was returned,
· On November 20, 2021, the bodies of junior sergeant Meruzhan Harutyunyan (1991) and private David Amiryan (1980) were returned [2].
However, Azerbaijani authorities insist that these people were killed in action, and were not hostages. In this case, why were the bodies of Armenian servicemen taken from the battlefield (on the territory of Armenia) to Baku? It cannot be ruled out that the Armenian servicemen were killed in captivity and/or some of them were not provided with medical assistance. In particular, wounded private David Amiryan was filmed on camera by Azerbaijani soldiers [3].
On November 17, 2021, it was made public that a preliminary investigation was completed against two illegally detained Armenian citizens, Ishkhan Sargsyan and Vladimir Rafaelyan. The materials of the criminal case were referred to the Baku Court on Grave Crimes[4]. The Armenian citizens are accused of “terrorism” under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan The court hearings of the fabricated criminal case against V.Rafaelyan and I.Sargsyan were held on 10 and 24 January 2022; the next hearing is scheduled for 28 February 2022.
On 27 May 2021, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces took 6 Armenian servicemen hostage. They were performing engineering works in the Gegharkunik region: V.Rafaelyan, I.Sargsyan, A.Abgaryan, A.Budoyan, B.Ohanyan, V.Sargsyan [5].
The Azerbaijani authorities, emboldened by the neglect of international organizations and world leaders, continue to abduct Armenian soldiers and civilians, torture and kill prisoners.
Regrettably, the exact number of Armenian prisoners is still unknown. The Azerbaijani side does not provide full information about the Armenians held in captivity. Moreover, Azerbaijan denies the capture of people who were filmed on camera by the Azerbaijani soldiers themselves (subsequently, these videos were posted by soldiers on the Internet).
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan stated: “There is a plethora of evidence of inhumane, degrading treatment and torture of Armenian prisoners of war. These cases have been documented by various international non-governmental organizations, including Human Rights Watch. We also have documented video footage and photographs proving that these people were captured, but Azerbaijan does not confirm their capture. They could be subjected to extrajudicial execution, they could be kept in underground prisons or become victims of human organ trafficking” [15].
Until today, at least 45 ethnic Armenian hostages have been killed in Azerbaijani captivity as a result of physical violence and barbaric torture (lawsuits about their brutal murders were filed by human rights activists in the European Court of Human Rights) [16], [17], [18], [19 ], [20], [21]. The fate of the following Artsakh civilians remains unknown: Jonik Tovosyan (age 85), Maksim Grigoryan, Sedrak Petrosyan, Karen Petrosyan, Benik, Elza Avtandilyan and several others, who were captured during the war in the autumn of 2020.
The abovementioned facts about Azerbaijan's violations of the norms of international humanitarian law indicate that the issue of Armenian prisoners can be resolved solely through imposition of sanctions against Azerbaijan for continuous war crimes, neglect for international laws and obligations binding UN member-states, and the Third Geneva Convention on Treatment of Prisoners of War. As a reminder, article 8 of the Ceasefire Agreement of 9 November 2020 required the immediate release of ALL hostages from both sides. While the Armenian side promptly returned all hostages to Azerbaijan, hundreds of Armenian POWs still held illegally by Azerbaijan.
We have identified 44 POWs who have been sentenced to long terms in prison following sham trials in Baku, without adequate legal representation, no right to appeal. Another 78 have been confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights, but never confirmed by the Azerbaijani authorities. Hundreds of Armenians servicemen and several civilians are still missing. Overall, we estimate that at least 200 Armenian hostages are illegally kept in Azerbaijan.
As all recent releases evidence, participation of international organisations and world leaders in solving the crisis of Armenian hostages has proved the only way of saving their lives. Thanks to the interventions of the EU, the governments of France and Hungary, hostages were released in December 2021 and January 2022.
Therefore, alongside our Petition, we continue writing, meeting, and asking world leaders at the United Nations Security Council, Council of Europe, OSCE and all humanitarian organisations to interfere immediately and demand the unconditional release of ALL Armenian POWs.
We ask each of you not to remain indifferent to the fate of the Armenian prisoners held in Baku and to take part in the humanitarian campaign for the release of Armenian prisoners. Please continue sharing this Petition to your friends and groups on social media, email, or WhatsApp. Together, we are stronger! THANKS TO EACH ONE OF YOU!
[4] https://www.facebook.com/azatutyun/videos/229745942592455
[5] https://hetq.am/ru/article/131970
[7] https://www.hrw.org/ru/news/2020/12/02/377184
[8] https://www.persecution.org/2021/06/16/lebanese-armenian-pow-sentenced-20-years-azerbaijan/
[9] https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/3458544.html
[10] https://www.turan.az/ext/news/2021/7/free/politics_news/en/6233.htm/001
[11] https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31338453.html
[12] https://news.am/eng/news/654925.html
[13] https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1058916.html
[14] https://asbarez.com/more-armenian-pows-sentenced-by-baku-court/