Human Rights Watch today accused Azerbaijan of abusing Armenian POWs taken captive during last year’s Karabakh war. 

“The abuse, including torture of detained Armenian soldiers, is abhorrent and a war crime,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In a statement released today, Human Rights Watch said it interviewed four former Armenian POWs who detailed their ill-treatment in custody as well as the ill-treatment of other POWs with whom they were captured or shared cells.

The accounts of torture and ill-treatment raise concerns that Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijani custody are at risk of further abuse, Human Rights Watch said.

HRW called on Azerbaijani authorities to investigate all allegations of ill-treatment and hold those responsible to account, adding that Azerbaijan should also immediately release all remaining POWs and civilian detainees.

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Photo: Armenian soldiers walk along road near the border between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. © 2020 AP Photo