October 3, 2022 - 14:43 AMT
Armenia demands clear assessment of “appalling” Azerbaijani war crimes

Armenia demands a clear assessment of the appalling war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday, October 2.

In footage published online over the weekend, Azerbaijani troops are seen murdering a number of unarmed Armenian prisoners of war.

“Numerous videos regularly publicized by Azerbaijani users on social media demonstrate the war crimes against and the extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war, torture of Armenian servicemen, including women, and desecration of corpses committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces,” the statement reads.

“The Republic of Armenia demands a clear assessment of the appalling war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces in this and previous periods. We will consistently pursue to voice the issue in relevant international platforms and courts and bring to justice the perpetrators and organizers of the above-mentioned crimes, including by the application of international sanctions. In this context, a due international investigation is imperative.

“At the same time, the international community is obliged to increase pressure on Azerbaijan for the immediate repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally held in Azerbaijan, clarification of cases of enforced disappearances, and the fates of the missing persons.”

The latest round of fighting between the two countries began in the wee hours of September 13, when the Azerbaijani military attacked Armenian posts and shelled Armenian settlements both on the border and deep behind the frontline. More than 200 people are dead or missing as a result, the Security Council of Armenia said on Monday.