HRW: Baku's prosecution of Armenian PoWs violates Geneva ConventionJuly 29, 2021 - 16:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan’s prosecution of Armenian prisoners of war on illegal border crossing charges is a breach of Geneva Convention III, Giorgi Gogia, associate director for Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division, said on Thursday, July 29. His comments came on the heels of a court in Azerbaijan sentencing 13 more Armenian PoWs to 6 years in prison. The Baku grave crimes court has so far handed 6-year jail terms to 39 Armenian captives illegally being held in Azerbaijan. Earlier this month, Azerbaijan sentenced 14 members of Armenia’s armed forces to various jail terms, while Viken Euljekjian, an Armenian captive and a citizen of Lebanon, was handed a 20-year jail term in mid-June. "Captured combatants should have been afforded PoW status and returned after hostilities ended!" Gogia tweeted on Thursday. He reminded that under Article 4 of the 3rd Geneva Convention, PoWs are persons who have fallen into the power of the enemy: Members of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict, as well as militias or volunteer corps, including those of organized resistance movements, operating in or outside their own territory. Azerbaijan is refusing to return all Armenian prisoners of war, in violation of the statement on the cessation of hostilities signed by the parties in November 2020. The Armenian side has information about some 200 Armenians still in Azerbaijan’s captivity, but Azeri President Ilham Aliyev claims that persons being kept in Baku are not PoWs, but “terrorists and saboteurs”. At least 19 of the hundreds of Armenian captives have been tortured and killed, according to their lawyers. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |