PACE calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to investigate crimes of last fall's war

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted a resolution demanding from Azerbaijan to release all the Armenian prisoners of war (POWs), and urging both parties to conduct an inquiry into the committed war crimes.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on September 27, marked one year since the start of the Karabakh war in 2020.

80 PACE members voted for the resolution; the delegations of Azerbaijan and Turkey voted against it.

"The PACE is concerned about the information of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), addressed to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, about 188 Armenians allegedly held in Azerbaijan. Some of them have been returned to Armenia since then. The fate of 30 Armenians, whose captivity, according to Armenia, is supported by video and photo evidence, and who may have been killed, is causing concern and worry. Azerbaijan should investigate the facts and provide information to the ECtHR and Armenia," the resolution states.

The PACE has also expressed concern over the fate of 48 Armenian POWs, most of whom were prosecuted. "The PACE calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to release all the remaining captives and return them to Armenia without any further delay," says the document.

The PACE has also expressed concern over the war crimes and other illegal acts, both against Armenia and against Azerbaijan, committed during the autumn war. "The PACE calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to investigate the charges and bring to justice anyone, including at the command level, who is found guilty of such crimes," says the resolution.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 28, 2021 at 06:45 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.