Turkey is equally responsible for violations of international conventions during the 44-day war with Azerbaijan. Armenia for the first time has filed an interstate complaint against Turkey with the European Court of Human Rights.
“Throughout the war, Turkey provided assistance both politically and militarily. He was directly involved,” says Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Representative of the Republic of Armenia to ECHR.
The representative of Armenia in ECHR recalls the claims of the international community from the very first days of the war that Turkey recruited militants of terrorist and extremist groups and transferred them to Azerbaijan.
“The transfer of mercenaries through Turkey to Azerbaijan is a violation of the convention. Extensive evidence was attached to the complaint, which was collected throughout the war. Submitted to the court, received confirmation,” Kirakosyan said.
As for the fake criminal cases initiated by Baku against the Armenian prisoners of war (POWs), the Azerbaijani press reported on the initiation of a trial against the two. Ludwig Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan are accused by Baku of allegedly torturing Azerbaijani POWs during the First Artsakh War. Earlier, he reported that the case of Lebanese-Armenian Vigen Eulchekjian was sent to a military court.
“The accusations are fabricated, they try to put a sign of equality between us and Azerbaijan by mirror logic,” Kirakosyan says.
According to Artak Zeynalyan, representative of POWs in the European Court, Azerbaijan is doing all this to give a veil of legitimacy to the hostage taking of Armenian POWs.
“These are illegal trials, Azerbaijan is doing it only to gain time. Sooner or later he must hand them all over, these people are being tried illegally. Violation of any rights will create additional responsibility for Azerbaijan. We are their lawyers. We are not aware that Azerbaijan is aware that we are their representative in this case. Moreover, we applied to visit our clients through the court, but we were denied,” says Artak Zeynalyan, Representative of the Interests of Armenian Prisoners of War in the ECHR.
In early May, after the return of the three captives, Baku claimed that the number of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan was 69. It is difficult to say whether Azerbaijan will stage the trial against everyone or not. According to Zeynalyan, new applications for urgent measures have been submitted.
“We have evidence on the basis of which we can come to a reasonable conclusion that these people were taken hostage, Azerbaijan is responsible for their fate. The number of clients has reached 123,” Zeynalyan says.
The advocacy group had earlier appealed to the European Court of Human Rights over allegations of torture, killing and imprisonment of POWs, citing 19 detainees. They have new data on Azerbaijan’s war crimes; they will publish it.
