HRD: Armenian PoWs tortured, deprived of food in Azerbaijan

HRD: Armenian PoWs tortured, deprived of food in Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian civilians and prisoners of war in Azerbaijan have been tortured, including psychologically, according to fresh analysis unveiled by Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on Wednesday, September 8.

Tatoyan revealed that in some cases the Azerbaijani side provided water or food to captured Armenians only after beating and humiliating them. According to him, PoWs captured during or after the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh were tortured for both their ethnicity and religion.

"We have obtained facts, according to which the Azeri servicemen and prison guards who tried to treat prisoners of war and civilians well, were punished," Tatoyan noted.

The Armenian captives have been starved for a long time, then given only 10 seconds to consume as much food as they could. In winter, they were forced to sleep naked, with their hands tied behind their backs. Those with wounds were tortured and made to beg for medical assistance.

The Human Rights Defender said the Azeris were particularly cruel to the Armenian prisoners of war who took part in the first Artsakh war and in the April War in 2016.

Dozens of videos of Azeri troops cutting the throats and ears of Armenians have been spreading online since the final days of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Azerbaijanis subject the Armenian POWs and captives to physical abuse and humiliation. The videos depict Azerbaijani captors variously slapping, kicking, and prodding Armenian POWs, and compelling them, under obvious duress and with the apparent intent to humiliate, to kiss the Azerbaijani flag. In most of the videos, the captors’ faces are visible, suggesting that they did not fear being held accountable.

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