Torture with boiling water, public humiliations – Ombudsman present Azeri government's ill- treatment of Armenian POWs

The Armenian prisoners of war, including civilians, kept by Azerbaijan after the 2020 war were subjected to coordinated state-sanctioned physical and psychological torture, Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said at a news conference, presenting an emergency report by lawyers and human rights advocates regarding the responsibility of the Azeri government for the gross violations of human rights, ill-treatment, torture and inhumane treatment against Armenian captives in Azeri custody.

Ombudsman Tatoyan stated that the Azeri military tortures the Armenian POWs based on ethnic discrimination, i.e. only because they are Armenian.

“Certainly, the cruelest treatment happens right after being taken captive, especially committed by operatives of special forces. For example, there are cases when they’d thrown the food on the ground and forced the captives to eat it. Or there was a case when they gave only 10 seconds to finish eating, and then threw the food into the trash. Often, they’d put their finger onto the wound, so that people start asking and begging for treatment or food. They would also deliberately splash cold water on naked POWs in cold weather and keep windows open,” Tatoyan said.

The soldiers who’ve been freed and brought back to Armenia told the Ombudsman that when representatives of the Red Cross were to come for visits, the Azeri military would change their treatment beforehand.

The Azeri servicemen would treat the Armenian POWs with special cruelty while trying to obtain information, such as personal information. The Armenian POWs were forced to make anti-Armenian and pro-Azeri statements.

Tatoyan says they have clear facts on many cases of the POWs being forced to make fake statements.

As an example, Tatoyan said: “One of the soldiers was forced to say that he has killed 50 Azerbaijanis at a wedding in Zangelan.”

Especially cruel treatmen...