Azerbaijani ombudswoman sends facts of Armenia's use of mercenaries to int'l organizations

The Azerbaijani Ombudsman has sent appeals and information to international organizations confirming the facts of the involvement of mercenaries by Armenia during the 44-day war in 2020.

Within the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) mandate, the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, continues regular visits to places of deprivation of liberty where persons cannot leave on their own will, Caliber.Az reports citing the Omudsman's Office.

As known, during the 44-day war, the Armenian military and political leaders committed war crimes in the territories of Azerbaijan by recruiting and using members of various terrorist groups and mercenaries in serious violation of the norms and principles of international law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, thereto, the Hague Conventions, the UN Convention against Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries, and UNSC Resolutions Nos. 405 and 419.

According to Article 47 of the First Additional Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, a mercenary shall not have the right to be a combatant or a prisoner of war. That is, the participation of mercenaries is against international humanitarian law.

Under paragraph (g) of Article 8-bis of the Rome Statute of the International Court of Justice, which is signed by Armenia “the sending, by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries” is constituted a crime of aggression against that State.

Regular visits by the Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva and NPM Group members were paid to the facilities where persons detained for criminal acts committed in the territories of Azerbaijan are held. Physician and psychologist members of the NPM Group also took part in those visits.    

In the course of the visits, the Ombudsman, Sabina Aliyeva, and NPM Group members held private talks with those detainees, heard their requests, and provided them with the legislative acts on the appeal mechanisms in their languages, and informed them of their rights.

Those detained persons were provided with the necessary conditions, healthcare, psychological services, access to phone calls with their family members, and other rights without any kind of discrimination, the requirements for the treatment of those persons as provided in the relevant legal norms were followed.

The accepted detainees did not complain about the opportunities created for them, healthcare service, and expressed their satisfaction with the nutrition and thanked for the humanist approach demonstrated towards them in the facility, unlike the treatment of Armenia towards Azerbaijanis.

This should be noted that the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan has submitted appeals and information based on the facts proving the involvement of mercenaries by Armenia to the relevant international organizations on a regular basis.