Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report urging Azerbaijan to look into allegations of “torture” of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) in Azerbaijani custody from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The report accuses Azerbaijani forces of badly mistreating POWs “either when they were captured, during their transfer or while in custody.” The human rights watchdog also called on Azerbaijan to “immediately release all remaining POWs.”
In 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that ended in what is widely considered to be a victory for Azerbaijan. In a ceasefire agreement that was signed in November 2020, Azerbaijan gained control of a majority of Nagorno-Karabakh. Numerous Armenian soldiers were captured in raids conducted by Azerbaijan’s armed forces and, according to reports, were either killed or subjected to torture.
The Europe and Central Asia director at HRW, Hugh Williamson called the abuse of Armenian POWs a “war crime.” In several testimonies given to HRW, former detainees say that were subjected to “degrading conditions” and were given “electric shocks.” HRW has been collecting and analysing numerous videos that show Armenian soldiers being abused.
Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Anna Naghdalyan commented that the HRW report documents “large-scale war crimes” committed by Azerbaijani forces against Armenian soldiers. Naghdalyan also said that Azerbaijan’s failure to account for missing Armenian POWs shows that “violations of international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan is ongoing” and may “amount to crimes against humanity.”
The Third Geneva Convention, adopted in 1949, defines the rights of POWs and states that they must be “treated humanely in all circumstances.” POWs are also to be protected from acts of violence, intimidation, and insults. The convention also defines the minimum conditions of detention which should include accommodation, food, and hygiene. Yet, according to the HRW report, Azerbaijan is in clear violation of the terms of the convention. In fact, Azerbaijan is rated as “not free” by Freedom House in its 2021 Freedom In The World report. The Freedom House report says that President Ilham Aliyev is running an authoritarian regime where media freedom and online discussions are restricted.
Azerbaijan, however, has claimed that Armenian servicemen were being treated well and that they expressed gratitude for the treatment accorded to them. Furthermore, it has accused Armenia of detaining and torturing Azerbaijani soldiers. Both sides dispute claims made by each other. The 2020 conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh marked the biggest escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent years. The region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, though the majority of ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh prefer Armenian control of the region.