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Rena Murshud

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Recently, rising provocations of Armenia against Azerbaijan have created a number of concerns about stability and security in the region. A few days ago, the missing Azerbaijani servicemen in the territory of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic along the border with Armenia, who lost their direction due to limited visibility in adverse weather conditions, and the brutal beating of one of them by Armenian policemen after being captured, clearly shows once again that Armenia is a dangerous neighbor.

In addition, the video footage of the beating of an Azerbaijani soldier by Armenian hooligans on social networks, followed by the visit of an "Armenian human rights activist" in captivity, created a ridiculous and paradoxical scene.

Firstly, violence inflicted by Armenia against captives is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and other international obligations arising from international humanitarian law and international human rights law. So, the so called Human Rights activist or defender of Armenia Ms. Anahit Manasyan should have reviewed the abovementioned law before she visited the servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who are detained in Armenia .

The Armenian sources say the "activist" has got acquainted with the conditions of their detention, and the issues related to the guaranteeing of their rights, including their right to health. However, during the private interviews, complaints about torture, and other forms of ill-treatment, including psychological pressure, committed by state bodies and officials, were not received.

However, Armenia's illegal actions do not end there. Violating international laws, Yerevan unjustly opened a criminal case against Azerbaijani soldiers. According to the Armenian media, our servicemen Aghsin G. Babirov and Hussein A. Akhundov, are charged with conspiracy to illegally cross the state border of Armenia and conspiracy to smuggle firearms and ammunition.

The so called Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan approved the National Security Service investigators’ motion on jailing the two Azerbaijani nationals pending trial.

In an interview with Azernews, political analyst Samir Humbatov said that, at first, the torture of our soldiers in Armenia is actually considered one of the most serious violations of international law for Armenia and the forces that support it.

"Armenia is trying to hide this issue, but such torture in non-combat conditions is contrary to the International Human Rights Law. Armenia does not apply the related provisions and declares that it continues to take a hostile stance."

The expert also related the arrest of Azerbaijani army servicemen with Armenia's intention to swap their alleged prisoners of war with Azerbaijan.

"The desire of the Armenians to replace our soldiers with Armenian ones may be connected with the incident. However, there is a nuance that their soldiers have been arrested in the situation of the war, and our soldiers went astray and went over to the side of the enemy due to foggy weather conditions.

As for Azerbaijan, our country will definitely express its position. They will demand the speedy return of our servicemen to Azerbaijan. I also think that if Armenia does not take serious steps, provided for by the International Human Rights Law, this can lead to greater tension," he added.

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