From time to time Armenians committed massacres against Azerbaijanis. In the second half of the 1980s, aggressive Armenian nationalists made baseless territorial claims against Azerbaijan. By raising the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Armenians committed massacres against Azerbaijanis and destroyed our cities, villages and material and cultural monuments. In 1991-1992, genocide was committed in Khojaly and other settlements. After the Second Karabakh War, such vandals of the Armenian army became more apparent. Mass graves discovered in the liberated territories prove it once again. Thus, on February 23 this year, a mass grave was discovered in the village of Edilli, Khojavend region of Azerbaijan. It should be noted that Edilli village was occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces on October 2, 1992. He was released from occupation by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 15, 2020.
APA’s Karabakh bureau reports that people held hostage by Armenians during the First Karabakh War were buried in the cemetery in Edilli village.
The mass grave was identified on the basis of statements and materials collected by the Working Group of the State Commission on Captives, Missing and Hostages of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Zaur Ismayilov, a member of the working group, told APA that the remains of 15-20 people are likely to be found in the cemetery found on the basis of witnesses’ testimonies. The State Commission already has information, GPRS coordinates have been determined. The approximate number of people buried there has been determined. As the areas are cleared of mines, the graves will be discovered.
Zaur Ismayilov also noted that there is information about a mass grave where more than 10 Azerbaijanis were buried in the area of the former “Kolkhoz Administration” in the village of Seyidahmedli, Fizuli region. As the area is mined, it has not been possible to investigate yet.
Azerbaijanis captured and taken hostage by Armenia during the First Karabakh War were brutally tortured to death, and then their remains were buried en masse. The Ombudsman’s Office reported.
It was noted that another mass grave was found in Edilli village of Khojavend region on the basis of witness statements and materials collected by the working group of the State Commission on Captives, Missing and Hostages.
This is in line with international law and international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, in particular the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and its Annex I Protocol of 1977. is a gross violation of its provisions by Armenia. ”
It should be noted that on February 25, a group of NGO chairmen organized by the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan visited the once-occupied village of Edilli in Khojavend.
It should be noted that a mass grave of former Azerbaijani captives was identified in Edilli village. Edilli was used as a torture camp for Azerbaijani captives, and civilians were taken prisoner by Armenian forces. 4,000 Azerbaijanis have been missing since the First Karabakh War.
Members of the Civil Society got acquainted with the traces of these crimes and atrocities.
The chairman of the Commissioner’s Legal Center, human rights activist Samad Vakilov, who attended the visit, said that the discovery of the Edilli mass grave should be assessed from three aspects: 1) Identifying captives, hostages and missing Azerbaijani citizens and handing them over to their families.
2) Achieve an assessment of this crime, which is part of the genocide, at the level of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
3) Inhuman treatment of prisoners of war.
He said that four Geneva Conventions were adopted on August 12, 1949 to ensure the necessary protection and humane treatment of civilians and the protection of war victims in international humanitarian law: “One of these conventions is the Third Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War. In addition to the Convention, the main international legal instruments governing the treatment of prisoners of war include the Fourth Hague Convention on the Law of Land Operations and the Additional Protocols I and II to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, adopted in 1977.
The Geneva Convention prohibits the taking of civilians who do not take part in hostilities. The document also defines the rules of conduct for centuries of war. However, it seems that the Armenian side has committed a human tragedy, ignoring the laws of war established by international law”
“During the First Karabakh War 1991-1993, Armenians, with the support of Soviet-Russian troops, occupied the Karabakh and East Zangazur regions of Azerbaijan and subjected the population to ethnic cleansing.” İt was said by the statement from Azerbaijani MP Musa Guliyev.
According to him, Armenians committed a number of inhumane crimes: “One of these crimes is the killing and mass burial of captives and hostages. This factor is a great insult to humanity in general, as well as a great human tragedy. During the first Karabakh war, about 3890 Azerbaijani citizens were taken hostage by Armenians, and their fate is still unknown.
No doubt they were all killed. Most of the 3890 people are civilians. And 200 of them are just children. After the 44-day war, the liberation of Karabakh, the process of demining began. During this process, mass human graves were discovered in Karabakh and East Zangazur.
Mass human graves were discovered in Edilli village of Khojavend region, Fizuli region, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Dashalti village near the Shusha. At present, samples are being taken from the bones of people in the cemeteries, genetic examinations are being carried out, and their identities are being investigated. This is a crime against humanity, and this crime must be punished.
Probably, this crime is considered a crime against humanity in many conventions, especially in 1949, according to the Geneva Convention for the Protection of Victims of War, such as the killing, capture and torture of civilians during the war. Therefore, on this basis, these cases should be considered by the European Court of Human Rights. Azerbaijan will undoubtedly appeal to the European Court.
The facts are already being collected. According to our information, there are mass graves in many places. Although we have repeatedly appealed to the Armenian side in this regard, they do not tell us anything about it. These facts become apparent during mine clearance. The President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly appealed to Armenia in this regard, stating that after the end of the Second Karabakh War, about 1,300 Armenian corpses left in the territories liberated by Azerbaijan were collected and handed over to Armenia. they do not say the location of the mass graves they buried. I think that this issue will be on the agenda during the peace talks, and it will be one of the questions posed to the Armenians. In any case, we are working on the consideration of this issue in the European Court.
At the same time, Armenia faces more serious lawsuits. Thus, the crimes committed by the Armenians during the occupation of Azerbaijani lands for about 30 years, and during the occupation of Azerbaijani territory, the aggression of our territory and our compatriots. Material damage to the territory of Azerbaijan, the state of Azerbaijan. We are also preparing to appeal to the Hague tribunal, collecting facts such as the destruction of our forests and rivers, the looting and sale of our natural resources, the destruction of civil and industrial facilities, the destruction of houses, graves and cities. We will demand compensation from Armenia for all these actions. I think that no crime should go unpunished.
Adil Adilzade
Member of the Public Union for
Support of Journalists in Diaspora Activities
