4,000 Syrian Mercenaries Deployed from Turkey to Azerbaijan Hired for $1,500-2,000: Human Rights Defender

Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, has made a statement on his Facebook page, informing that Turkey has transferred military mercenaries from northern Syria to Azerbaijan for use against Artsakh and Armenia, in line with ongoing reports from international media.

"We are talking about 3,000-4,000 mercenaries who have been hired for $1,500-2,000 USD to participate in the war currently underway against Artsakh and Armenia, according to these sources. These reports are routinely confirmed by international media and foreign organizations in the human rights field. Information regarding this is also being corroborated by sources in Artsakh," he stated.

The provided information is extremely concerning, as it could lead to a humanitarian disaster accompanied not only by human casualties but also by brutality and destruction. It should be considered that the air and artillery attacks unleashed by Azerbaijan since September 27 are accompanied by widespread hate speech and violence against ethnic Armenians, as well as aggressive calls for murders targeting the residents of Artsakh and Armenia.

Additionally, indiscriminate shelling targeted crucial lifelines, gas pipelines, communication means, and more for the civilian population in Artsakh and now Armenia. All of these elements are parts of the same troubling chain. It is terrifying to even imagine the war crimes against humanity that could occur under these developments.

The UN Human Rights Council, through Resolution 42/9 on September 26, 2019, condemned the use of mercenaries to obstruct the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, categorizing their acts as crimes and threats to security, peace, and human rights. Therefore, the international community, particularly human rights organizations, must respond immediately. There is a need to do everything possible to prevent the combat operations currently taking place, and this should be done not merely through formal appeals, but through concrete actions. The international community and especially human rights organizations have no right to ignore all of this under the guise of 'political' excuses or by justifying their own mandates with 'powerlessness.'"