ArmInfo. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan at a meeting with a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of Francophonie headed by Jean-Charles Luperto, Head of the International Organization of Francophonie Regional Mission in Europe, spoke about the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces during the war in Artsakh in the second half of 2020.
As reported by the press service of the RA Ombudsman's office, Tatoyan said that 297 videos and photographs were sent to international organizations with an analysis of the atrocities of Azerbaijanis against the Armenian military personnel and civilians, the destruction and desecration of the Armenian historical, cultural and religious heritage.
He spoke in detail about the imperative to return the Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, noting that the behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities, presenting the prisoners as "terrorists" or "saboteurs" is a gross violation of international requirements for the protection of the rights of prisoners. Tatoyan drew the attention of parliamentarians to the fact that all the servicemen of the Armenian side and civilians were captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces during the ongoing armed conflict, therefore, all of them are prisoners by status and should be immediately released and repatriated to their homeland without any political or other preconditions.
"The Azerbaijani authorities are artificially dragging out and politicizing the process, grossly violating the rights of prisoners and their families, causing them suffering and creating tension in society," the RA Ombudsman said.
The defender stressed that the highest authorities of Azerbaijan continue the policy of hatred and enmity towards the Armenians. Proof of this is, for example, the opening of the so-called "trophy park" in Baku, dedicated to the war in Artsakh in September-November 2020. He drew attention to the fact that the dummies of Armenian soldiers in the so-called park, which is open, including for children, are specially presented in a degrading manner.
Tatoyan drew the attention of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie to the anti-Armenian speeches of the President of Azerbaijan, stressing that his speeches further inflame Armenophobia in the Azerbaijani society and threaten peace between peoples in the region. The parties reached an agreement on cooperation in the field of human rights protection.