Immediately after the publication of the information on the RA Armed Forces officer Gurgen Alaverdyan, who accidentally ended up in Azerbaijan, the RA Human Rights Defender initiated a process of investigation.
The videos published by the Azerbaijani military with the participation of Gurgen Alaverdyan, which are available on YouTube social media, as well as on various Azerbaijani websites, were studied. The study of the videos testifies to the gross violations of the internationally enshrined rights of the RA Armed Forces officer.
In particular in the videos Gurgen Alaverdyan appears with handcuffs, surrounded by Azerbaijani servicemen. The officer of the RA Armed Forces is with a winter hat, with which his eyes were completely closed. In the video Alaverdyan is surrounded by Azeri servicemen who make statements insulting his dignity, display sarcastic behavior, constantly demonstratively humiliate the officer's honor and dignity, and the videos are completely flooded with ironic remarks about Gurgen Alaverdyan's ethnicity, with obvious hatred of Armenians.
The Geneva Conventions guarantee the right to respect for the honor and dignity of prisoners of war, which excludes any degrading treatment. Therefore, in the videos, the behavior of the Azerbaijani military is a gross violation of Gurgen Alaverdyan's rights. It should be noted that the gross violations of rights by the Azerbaijani military occur after Gurgen Alaverdyan got lost and found himself in the territory of Azerbaijan, that is, under the jurisdiction of that country and, consequently, under it's responsibility.
It is also highly reprehensible that these videos are widely broadcasted on Azerbaijani television. Today, the RA Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan appealed to international human rights organizations, noting the gross violations of Gurgen Alaverdyan's rights, as well as the gross violations of international humanitarian law.
The Defender also applied to the RA Ministry of Defense, where it was officially clarified that on August 22, at around 7:30 pm, officer Gurgen Alaverdyan was confused and
lost due to very unfavorable weather conditions. He was to check the military location. The Human Rights Defender, as well as his representative, are in constant contact with Gurgen Alaverdyan's family, as well as with relevant international organizations”, the ombudsman's office said in a statement.
