The “International and Comparative Law Center” NGO (“I.C.Law”), “Center for Law & Justice “Tatoyan” Foundation”, “Arbane” Foundation and “Union for the Protection of the Interests and Rights of the Artsakh People” NGO published a joint report titled “Azerbaijan’s Violations of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment Within the Context of Racial/Ethnic Discrimination Towards Armenians.”
On March 18, the report was submitted to the UN Committee against Torture in response to Azerbaijan’s 5th periodic report, which was submitted for the Committee’s 79th session scheduled to be held from April 15 to May 10.
The report focuses on acts of torture committed by Azerbaijan against Armenian military personnel and civilians during 2016-2019.
The examples discussed in the report reveal a systematic pattern of practices adopted by Azerbaijan that specifically target people of Armenian national and ethnic origin.
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These documented cases show that the beheadings of Armenian soldiers and civilians is a common method used to cause mental suffering to the directly affected individuals as well as their family members.
Moreover, the failure to pursue and investigate according to the international legal norms, as well as the failure to punish suspected perpetrators of torture, increases the level of impunity amongst the Azerbaijani military forces and society. Additionally, the report references the praise and accolades given to criminals by high-ranking officials in Azerbaijan.
This has promoted hatred towards Armenian citizens and ensured avoidance of criminal responsibility. The document highlights that the complete impunity for the events during that period also led to more severe and widespread crimes against the people of Artsakh and Armenians overall, including instances of torture and forced deportation in the subsequent years.