Armenia submits to ECHR evidence of Azerbaijan's use of mercenaries

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Government has submitted to the the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) credible evidence of Azerbaijan's use of mercenaries, as well as additional evidence of gross violations of human rights by Azerbaijani forces, the Representative of Armenia before the ECHR said Monday, November 2.

The Armenian government has expressed its readiness to comply with the humanitarian ceasefire agreements reached by the parties of armed conflict earlier in October with the purpose to exchange POWs and corpses. Given the imminent risk and threat to the POWs' lives the government has asked the Court to indicate to the Government of Azerbaijan as a contracting party to the Convention:

1. To comply with its obligations under the Convention, as well as the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and all applicable rules of customary international humanitarian law, in particular, among other things, to refrain from;

a. degrading treatment, torture, arbitrary executions, as well as other prohibited conduct with respect to prisoners of war and civilian persons who find themselves under the authority of Azerbaijani agents,

b. mutilating corpses of soldiers;

2. To submit information on the number and names of the POWs and conditions under which POWs are currently held, details about their medical condition, and whether they have been examined by medical personnel.

Also, Monday, the Armenian government provided photo and video footage of the shelling of Martuni, Martakert, Shushi, Mataghis, Askeran, and the capital of Artsakh, Stepanakert.

Furthermore, the Government has also submitted credible evidence of the use of Syrian mercenaries by Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and Syrian and Libyan mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.