November 4, 2020 - 14:56 AMT
Karabakh verifying reports of Azerbaijani troops beheading a civilian

A resident of the village of Togh in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has told an international journalist that the Azerbaijani troops have beheaded his neighbor, a civilian identified only by his first name as Mayor, Karabakh Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan told a press conference on Wednesday, November 4.

Beglaryan said Armenophobia and xenophobia are so widespread in Azerbaijan that killing and beheading any Armenian is welcomed by the general public.

"I'd like to weigh in on an incident that happened days ago, when a resident of the village of Togh, who had barely survived Azerbaijan's aggression, told a foreign reporter that the Azerbaijanis have beheaded his neighbor and killed an 82-year-old villager named Misha Stepanyan. The civilian who was beheaded is named Mayor, we are working to identify his family name," Beglaryan said.

The Ombudsman said his office has reasonable doubts that the Azerbaijani have committed various war crimes against Armenian civilians they have met on their way.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and terrorist 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.