Azerbaijani Servicemen Tortured and Killed 19 Armenian Captives

YEREVAN — Lawyers Artak Zeynalyan and Siranush Sahakyan, who represent the interests of Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), published new information about war crimes committed by Azerbaijan.

“During the second Artsakh war that began on September 27, 2020, as well as after the signing of a trilateral agreement on November 9, 2020 (to end hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone), civilians and servicemen of Armenian nationality were taken prisoner,” Zeynalian wrote on Facebook.

According to him, 19 of those who were captured were tortured and killed by Azerbaijani servicemen, which is a war crime.

“We have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the fact of killings and torture of prisoners of war and detainees,” Zeynalyan said, publishing the names of the victims:

Civilians
1. Eduard Shahgeldyan,
2. Arsen Karakhanyan,
3. Benik Hakobyan,
4. Elena Hakobyan,
5. Serzhik Vardanyan,
6. Ella Vardanyan,
7. Gennady Petrosyan,
8. Yurik Asryan,
9. Misha Movsisyan,
10. Anahit Movsisyan,
11. Nina Davtyan,
12. Misha Melkumyan,

Military personnel:
13. Erik Mkhitaryan,
14. Gagik Mkrtchyan,
15. Arayik Poghosyan,
16. Vardges Ghazaryan,
17. Yuri Adamyan,
18. Arthur Manvelyan,
19. Narek Babayan

The number of Armenian POWs still in custody in Azerbaijan remains unclear. By the end of February 2021, Armenia’s Representative Office at the European Court of Human Rights had asked the court to intervene with Azerbaijan regarding 240 cases of alleged prisoners of war and civilian detainees. In approximately 90 percent of those cases, the office said, they had provided photo and/or video evidence confirming that Azerbaijani forces had taken these people into custody.