On October 1, at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Christian Solidarity International invited a discussion entitled "Human rights in Azerbaijan: The Fate of Armenian Detainees". Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, Hasmik Harutyunyan, who has been documenting human rights violations in Nagorno Karabakh since 2016, and international criminal law specialist Gurgen Petrosyan spoke during the discussion. Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan made a special speech.
Siranush Sahakyan, referring to the UN’s First Special adviser on Genocide Prevention, Juan E. Mendez, emphasized that the targeting of leadership of a vulnerable community is an indicator of genocide. According to the human rights defender, in addition to the confirmed 23 Armenian hostages, there are reliable facts about the captive-taking of another 80 Armenians, as well as about forced disappearances. Lawyer Hasmik Harutyunyan presented the results of her studies, according to which there are many materials where the representatives of the Azerbaijani military torture the detained Armenians, subject them to physical violence and sexually abuse female soldiers, threaten to amputate them, force them to kiss the flag of Azerbaijan, curse the Prime Minister of Armenia and say: “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” as well as disrespect the bodies of servicemen.
Lawyer Gurgen Petrosyan addressed the issue of holding Azerbaijan internationally accountable for crimes committed against the Armenians of Artsakh, including deportation and persecution. These crimes against humanity are either under Universal Jurisdiction or under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), of which Armenia is now a full member.
"The international community should take these crimes seriously and call Azerbaijan to account," said Gurgen Petrosyan, adding, "each unpunished international crime increases the risk of repetition of waves of violence."
Watch the full meeting below