US State Department on Azerbaijan's Inhumane Treatment of Armenian Prisoners

The US State Department's report on human rights for 2020, published yesterday, addresses the issue of Azerbaijan's inhumane and illegal treatment of Armenian prisoners. Noting that with Turkey's support, the Azerbaijani side committed numerous violations during last year's war, the US State Department specifically emphasized the documented abuses against two Armenian prisoners in Hadrut in October.

The American foreign office acknowledged that independent international experts, including analyses from the BBC and the American Atlantic Council, confirmed that the recorded videos are authentic. “Another authoritative example is the report from Amnesty International on December 10, in which they verified the authenticity of 22 videos available online among dozens. These videos include the confirmation of the circumstances surrounding the killing of ethnic Armenian citizens by Azerbaijani forces through mutilation,” the statement reads.

The American side noted that around 100 citizens had been arrested on espionage charges in favor of Armenia. According to human rights reports, they were subjected to torture, with about ten of them dying in detention facilities.

The State Department also highlighted the violence against various political opposition figures in Azerbaijan.