LONDON — Videos of a potential war crime have emerged as fighting rages around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians. Both BBC news and bellingcat.com have confirmed the authenticity of the videos.
One video posted on a messaging app shows what appears to be two Armenians in military uniforms being captured by troops from Azerbaijan.
A second video seemingly shows the same Armenians being shot with their hands behind their backs.
Armenian authorities have identified the men as Benik Hakobyan, 73, and 25-year-old Yuri Adamyan. Azerbaijan has dismissed the videos as fake.
The pair of videos that the BBC has verified were posted on an anonymous Russian-language pro-Azerbaijan channel on Telegram messenger last week.
The first video appears to show Armenians Benik Hakobyan and Yuri Adamyan being taken prisoner.
In the video, someone speaking Russian with a heavy Azerbaijani accent orders the men to walk forwards, surrender any weapons and raise their hands. He speaks to the other soldiers in Azerbaijani, telling them not to hit the captives.
The younger prisoner, Yuri Adamyan, removes a helmet and his jacket before putting his hands in the air and walking out of shot.
Although the older man, Benik Hakobyan, is wearing a military-style camouflage jacket, it’s unclear whether he is a soldier. He is pushed to the ground and appears to moan in pain.
The first video was followed by a second that shows the apparent execution of the two men.
The prisoners appear to have their hands bound behind them and are draped in the flags of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh.
They are sitting on a small wall and can be seen moving slightly. Then someone orders in Azerbaijani: “Aim at their heads.” Multiple shots are heard and the prisoners slump to the ground.
The BBC has studied the clips and confirmed that they were filmed in Hadrut, a town that has seen intense fighting. It is in southern Nagorno-Karabakh, near Fuzuli.
Europe’s top human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, has said it has received the video and will look into all alleged human rights abuses and take action when appropriate.
BBC – Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: ‘Execution’ video prompts war crime probe
bellingcat.com – An Execution in Hadrut
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Today, the extant TURKISH REPUBLIC of 2020 is GUILTY of committing and perpetuating the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE!
So WHY are Armenians being so insipid?
Fact: Turks claim Armenians were deported from war zones for their own safety — NOT with the goal of killing them and committing genocide.
Fact: Turks TODAY conceal (and reportedly destroy) Ottoman Turkish deeds records and archives to obstruct official confirmation of Armenian ownership and thwart the inheritors of the Armenians they “deported” to reclaim and return to their homes, lands and property;
Thereby;
Fact: The Turks are continuing to commit genocide on the Armenians by preventing them from returning to their homes even though WWI is OVER.
WHY
Aren’t Armenians suing the modern day Republic of Turkey for perpetrating the ongoing genocide TODAY?
Aren’t Armenians being self-defeating instead of helping their cause?