After a closed debate over the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian prisoners of war today, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted a message addressed to the international community and calling on Azerbaijan to immediately deliver the captives to the Armenian party and stop the torture and inhuman treatment against them.
After the closed debate, leader of Bright Armenia opposition party and head of the homonymous faction Edmon Marukyan recommended reading the text of the parliament’s call and then adopt it during a vote.
The text of the message reads as follows:
“THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
Taking as a basis the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1949 Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims, the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and other international treaties in the field of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, customary international law and the principles of the right recognised by civilised nations;
Having regard to the commitment of the Armenian and Azerbaijani parties to return all persons in captivity, as well as the bodies;
Recording that the Azerbaijani party is artificially delaying the process of returning the persons in captivity and the bodies, is clearly concealing the real number of prisoners of war under its control, other interned and imprisoned persons, is continuing the cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, tortures, physical and mental sufferings against them;
Strictly condemning the videotaping by the Azerbaijani party of the tortures, degrading and other inhumane acts committed through the representatives of the armed forces with exceptional cynicism and the dissemination through mass media outlets and on social networks;
Having regard to the ubiquitous and systemic policy of the Azerbaijani authorities to instil hatred and inflame hostility towards ethnic Armenians in an organised manner and to declare the murder, torture and other manifestations of violence against Armenians in different parts of the world as heroic acts,
ADDRESSES, WITH THIS MESSAGE,
The international community — the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations Committee Against Torture and the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Committee for the Prevention of Tortures, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international and national organisations, institutions and persons dealing with human rights protection, inter-parliamentary organisations, as well as the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group and
CALLS ON
urging Azerbaijan to immediately deliver to the Armenian party the prisoners of war under its control, other interned and imprisoned civilians; demanding that Azerbaijan stop the tortures, inhumane and cruel treatment against prisoners of war, other interned and imprisoned civilians; obliging Azerbaijan to stop the Armenophobic policy which serves as a motive for the aforementioned gross violations in all sectors of public life — at educational institutions, in public speeches of public, military and political figures, through mass media outlets, on social networks, as well as in any other manifestation; stopping, through maximal efforts and real steps, the Armenophobic policy of Azerbaijan which is intolerable for the civilised world, including the obvious violation of human rights and dignity and unruly policy of dodging war crimes and international commitments in every way; taking active measures for Azerbaijan to respect and strictly observe the commitments assumed under international human rights law and international humanitarian law."
