The Ombudsman of Azerbaijan once again appealed to international organizations to ensure the rights of our servicemen detained in Armenia

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, addressed the relevant international and regional organizations with a letter to take into account the issue of ensuring the rights of Azerbaijani servicemen detained by Armenia within their mandate.

In the appeal, it was requested to investigate the videos and photos published in the Armenian media regarding the inhuman treatment of the soldier of the Azerbaijani armed forces, and it was reported that the Ombudsman sent a letter to the headquarter and the Baku Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding this issue.

The appeal also made reference to the statement of the Ombudsman of Armenia, who visited our servicemen the other day, that they had no complaints about torture or ill-treatment. It was given emphasis that this untruthful statement made by the Armenian Ombudsman Institute, intended to conceal the committed legal infractions, as evidenced by the images and video recordings showing the Azerbaijani soldier being subjected to brutality, is cause for concern. For this reason, the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan insisted that the relevant international and regional organizations promptly respond to those violations of the law within their mandate.

It was also emphasized that the Ombudsman and her National Preventive Group visited the Armenian prisoners of war during the Second Karabakh war, as well as the members of the Armenian armed terror-sabotage group detained for the crimes committed in our liberated territories in the aftermath of the war, and issued numerous press statements in this regard.

In the appeal, it was noted that, in addition to these actions, which were committed in serious violation of the norms and principles of international law and international humanitarian law, the fact that of insulting the flag of Azerbaijan at the European Weightlifting Championship these days was also the result of Armenia’s widely propagated policy of hatred against Azerbaijan.

In conclusion, the Ombudsman urged those institutions to provide support for our servicemen to communicate with their family members through video calls and to ensure their safe return to our country.