Wednesday, May 12 2021 12:28

ArmInfo. Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, during a meeting with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom John Gallagher, presented the war crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan during the war in Artsakh in  November-December 2020.  

According to the Ombudsman's office, Tatoyan  said that an analysis of 297 videos and photos of atrocities by  Azerbaijan in relation to Armenian military personnel and civilians,  destruction and desecration of the Armenian historical, cultural and  religious heritage, was sent to international organizations.

The Ombudsman stressed the need for the urgent return of the Armenian  prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, noting that the behavior of the  Azerbaijani authorities grossly violates international requirements  for the protection of the rights of prisoners who are presented as  "terrorists" or "saboteurs".

At the same time, Tatoyan pointed out that all servicemen and  civilians from the Armenian side were captured by the Azerbaijani  armed forces during the ongoing armed conflict, therefore they are  all prisoners of war, they should be immediately released and  returned to their homeland without any political or other preliminary  conditions.

According to him, the Azerbaijani authorities are artificially  delaying and politicizing this process, grossly violating the rights  of prisoners and their families, causing them suffering and creating  tension in society.

"The highest authorities of Azerbaijan continue the policy of hatred  and enmity against Armenians. This is proved, for example, by the  opening of the so-called" trophy park "in Baku, where the dummies of  Armenian soldiers are specially presented in a humiliated form, and  the park is open even for small children," the Human Rights Defender  said.

The Ombudsman drew the ambassador's attention to the anti-Armenian  speeches of the Azerbaijani President and stressed that his speeches  further inflame Armenophobia and threaten peace between the peoples  of the region.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to the powers of the  Human Rights Defender at the pre- election stage were discussed. The  defender stressed the importance of solidarity in society and noted  that they would conduct apolitical monitoring of the elections.