Ombudsman investigates identity of Togh villager beheaded by Azeri troops

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh is clarifying the identity of the civilian Armenian person who was beheaded by the Azerbaijani soldiers in the village of Togh.

“One of the villagers of Togh told an international reporter that they are aware of the incident when one of their neighbors was beheaded by Azerbaijani soldiers,who alsokilled the 82 year old Misha Stepanyan. We have some information, but we haven’t yet revealed all circumstances and these incidents are not included in the statistics,” Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan said.

He said they have serious reasons to believe that the Azeri military have committed numerous crimes against civilians in all villages or towns they were able to invade.

“Armenophobia is so widespread in Azerbaijan that killing an Armenian in any possible way and mistreatment of bodies is welcomed by the wide society. This deserves the special attention of the international community. There is a great danger for genocide if the Azeri servicemen have this kind of hatred for Armenians,” he said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan