Freedom House calls on Azerbaijan to provide all requested information about Armenian POWs to ECHR

Freedom House has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to fully cooperate with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and provide all requested information about the Armenian prisoners of war.

The statement comes in response to reports of abuse of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian captives detained by Azerbaijan after their recent armed conflict.

“We are deeply concerned by the reports of dehumanizing treatment and abuse, including torture, of Armenians captured and detained by Azerbaijan after the recent armed conflict,” said Marc Behrendt, director of Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House. “We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to fully cooperate with the efforts of the European Court of Human Rights to investigate the validity of reports of dehumanizing treatment of Armenian detainees regardless of their status and ensure those still in custody are provided with all protections required under international human rights and humanitarian law, including freedom from torture and inhuman treatment, and that details of their repatriation are provided. As a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, Azerbaijan is obligated to fully cooperate with the court and provide all requested information to facilitate a transparent investigation of these serious issues.”

Armenian detainees have faced abuse and humiliation while in Azerbaijani custody, according to social media accounts that were preliminarily verified by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in March.

The Armenian government appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) over the fate of scores of detainees believed to be in Azerbaijan. In early March, the ECtHR maintained its interim measures—which are meant to protect individuals from further bodily harm while the case is ongoing—for 188 people. The ECtHR also called on the Azerbaijani government to provide more information on the medical status of the detainees, the conditions of their detention, and the details of their planned repatriation.

Azerbaijan is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2021, Not Free in Freedom on the Net 2020, and is categorized as a Consolidated Authoritarian Regime in Nations in Transit 2021.