Armenian Authorized Heart for Justice & Human Rights announces authorized motion just before the European Court for POWs murdered by Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON, DC — The Armenian Authorized Centre for Justice & Human Rights (ALC) in partnership with the Global & Comparative Regulation Heart (ICLaw) has introduced the submitting of new applications (situations) with the European Court docket of Human Rights (ECHR) alleging that Azerbaijan is accountable for the deaths of Armenian Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilians held in captivity. The programs current that 19 Armenian folks, equally civilians who remained in their native settlements and soldiers, were being killed in 10 individual incidents even though these individuals were held captive by Azerbaijani forces and/or in jail. These applications have been introduced with irrefutable evidence in the form of eyewitness testimony, common video footage posted on the world-wide-web, forensic medical examinations and specialist views. With insurmountable evidence, ICLaw, with the aid of ALC, seeks to hold Azerbaijan accountable for failing to guard the life of individuals in captivity under the two the European Conference on Human Rights and Intercontinental Humanitarian Law.
“By failing to secure the lives of these in captivity and by failing to examine captives who are killed, Azerbaijan defiantly violates human rights regulation and fails to satisfy its obligations below the European Conference on Human Rights,” stated ALC chairperson Kenneth Hachikian. “It is incumbent on the ECHR, and all affiliated European institutions, to unequivocally attract a crimson line and drive Azerbaijan’s dictatorship to get accountability.”
ALC is fully commited to pursuing justice for these 19 Armenian folks and guaranteeing that all Armenian POWs are introduced and repatriated without harm. Based mostly on this goal, ALC has partnered with ICLaw based in Yerevan, Armenia, to file instances and advocate before the ECHR on behalf of about 100 specific Armenian POWs. Consequently this partnership serves to individually represent additional than fifty percent of the Armenian POWs at present held in captivity by Azerbaijan. Not too long ago, ICLaw, with the help of ALC, submitted additional circumstances for interim actions and is functioning continuously to investigate and identify extra POWs held by Azerbaijan. As more facts is obtained, ICLaw and ALC will keep on to go after equally the liberty and the correct to daily life of all Armenian POWs.
As the higher Armenian nation continues to go after the launch and repatriation of all Armenian POWs, ALC would like to share the names and backgrounds of the men and women on whose behalf ICLaw has filed suitable to lifetime cases. Visitors are encouraged that the subsequent info could be graphic.
Vahram Lalayan was a 47-yr-outdated civilian who lived in the village of Mets Tagher in the Hadrut location of Artsakh. When the war started out, he refused to flee and remained in his house. The corpse of Vahram Lalayan was afterwards located all through look for operations. The photos of the entire body and the autopsy protocol point out that Vahram’s physique was not located in its integrity, instead his head was separated from the body, and the wrists were being reduce.
Volodya Aghabekyan was an 83-12 months-aged civilian who lived in the village of Sghnakh in the Askeran area of Artsakh. He selected to continue being in his household all through the war. On December 17, 2020, his corpse was found near his household in the study course of search operations. In accordance to the forensic investigations, his dying happened as a end result of a gunshot wound in the head, damaging the mind subject. Volodya Aghabekyan was willfully killed by the Azerbaijani soldiers irrespective of his age and currently being beneath the full defense of the provisions of global humanitarian regulation delivered to civilians.
Arsen Gharakhanyan was a 45-yr-old civilian who lived in the region of Hadrut with his loved ones. Arsen and his father Sasha ended up captured with each other on the same working day. Sasha was repatriated on December 14, 2020, whilst Arsen was held in captivity for a extended period of time and later on executed by his captors. Before killing him, Azeris filmed two video clips of Arsen and printed them on line. His dead human body was handed about to the Armenian side and introduced as a target of the war. The images of the corpse, as well as the results of the publish-mortem evaluation, suggest that he was subjected to torture and inhuman treatment though in captivity.
Yuri Adamyan and Benik Hakobyan have been the two captured by Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces and killed in the town center of Hadrut. On October 15, 2020, two online video recordings were being released on the internet showing how Yuri and Benik were captured (to start with movie) and later, how they were being killed by gunshots, wrapped in the flags of Armenia and Artsakh (next online video). As of this day, their bodies have not been handed in excess of to the Armenian facet. Their families are therefore prevented from the chance of a proper burial.
Mushegh Melkumyan was an 83-calendar year-old civilian who lived in Hadrut considering that the 1950s. He was taken captive at the starting of October 2020. He was retained incommunicado for almost 20 days with no prospect to talk by any independent mechanisms. Mushegh was subjected to inhuman and degrading therapy. He died in captivity on Oct 29, 2020. His body was handed above to the Armenian side two days later on. His captivity was not duly acknowledged for a extended time, as the ICRC obtained access to take a look at Mushegh only on October 26, 2020, 3 times right before his loss of life.
Narek Babayan was involved in the protection of Artsakh throughout the 2020 war. He was captured by Azeri armed forces, who beheaded him. His captors named Narek’s household associates and informed them that Narek was in their fingers, and that they experienced reduce his throat. A couple of hrs afterwards, a image of a lifeless and mutilated Narek appeared on his own Instagram webpage.
Gennadi Petrosyan was a 69-yr-outdated civilian who lived in the area of Askeran of Artsakh and refused to go away his household in the course of the war. He was captured by Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces following they entered the village of Madatashen of Askeran. In November 2020, a online video circulated in Azerbaijani media of an Azerbaijani soldier reducing Gennadi Petrosyan’s neck, whilst two other troopers are keeping him by the arms. Then, another online video appeared in the media portraying Gennadi’s corpse. Azerbaijani soldiers disgraced the corpse by putting Gennadi’s head on a pig and indicating out loud: “a pig seems to be like a pig.” The useless overall body of Gennadi Petrosyan has not been returned as of this date.
Yurik Asriyan was an 80-year-old civilian who lived in the region of Hadrut and refused to go away his home all through the war. He was captured by Azerbaijani armed forces immediately after they entered the village of Azokh of Hadrut. A video was circulated in the Azerbaijani media, portraying how an Azeri soldier is reducing Yuri’s neck. On January 21, 2021, his corpse was handed to the Armenian facet from the territory of Azokh. The head of Yuri Asriyan is continue to lacking.
Sargis Manukyan, Lyudvig Avdalyan, Senik Khurshudyan and Husik Hovakimyan all participated in the protection of Artsakh during the 2020 war. On Oct 23, 2020, a video appeared on the Telegram mobile application, demonstrating a weakened health care transportation automobile and the dead bodies of Sargis, Lyudvig, Senik and Husik being dragged out of the vehicle and thrown to the floor. The online video also showed Azeri soldiers standing next to the fallen soldiers and making derogatory statements about them. A number of times later on, one more video clip appeared on Telegram, exhibiting how the fifty percent-naked bodies of the four servicemen are dragged out of a “Kamaz” truck with the use of a shovel. The bodies are thrown on the ground, slammed with the shovel and stomped on the encounter, even though the Azeri servicemen chortle and make derogatory statements. The bodies bear symptoms of professional medical therapy, making it extra than clear that the killed people have been not energetic soldiers taking immediate element in hostilities, but “hors de beat.”
Karen Nersisyan, Hayk Harutyunyan, Albert Stepanyan, Grisha Grigoryan, Sasun Petrosyan and Samvel Smbatov all participated in the protection of Artsakh for the duration of the 2020 war. Soon after the signing of the trilateral assertion of November 9, 2020, a 6-member group of Armenian servicemen hiding in the forests of Hadrut had been identified by Russian peacekeeping forces and securely transferred to Armenia. Following that case, acknowledging that extra Armenian servicemen could be hiding in other areas of the forests of Hadrut, the Azerbaijani side conducted look for functions devoid of the participation of Russian peacekeeping forces. That is when the Azeris discovered Karen, Hayk, Albert, Grisha, Sasun and Samvel hiding in the forests and shot them lifeless.