Virtually every Armenian former POW testifies on torture and humiliation in Azeri custody, even by medics

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Representatives of the Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Office held separate meetings with the former prisoners of war who were repatriated from Azerbaijani captivity on October 6.

17 POWs were released by Azerbaijan on October 6.

The Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan said at a news conference that they met with 16 of them as 1 is still undergoing treatment at a hospital. A meeting with the hospitalized serviceman is expected today.

Grigoryan said they will issue a report about the testimonies.

All 16 former POWs testified that they’ve been tortured and mistreated in Azeri custody.

“We will have a separate report which will record the factual information testified by the men. The testimonies are about torture, mistreatment and humiliations,” Grigoryan said. The POWs were even mistreated by Azeri medics.

“The signature of the Azerbaijani side has not changed,” Grigoryan said, noting that the former POWs who returned after the 2020 war had made similar testimonies.

The report will be submitted to international organizations.