Azerbaijan: Armenian Prisoners of War Badly Mistreated

Berlin – Azerbaijani forces have inhumanely treated numerous ethnic Armenian military troops captured in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Human Rights Watch said today. They subjected these prisoners of war (POWs) to physical abuse and humiliation, in actions that were captured on videos and widely circulated on social media since October.

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Turkey’s Syrian Mercenaries in Azerbaijan “Feel Tricked” as Bodies Pile Up

On September 22nd, I received several reports from sources inside the Syrian National Army (SNA), the umbrella organization of all Syrian opposition factions backed by Turkey, that the first deployment of SNA men to Azerbaijan had taken place. For months before this, rumors that Turkey would be sending militants to Azerbaijans had been swirling among the SNA. “The men were taken to Turkey, forced to shave their beards and wear civilian clothes, and then they began their journey,” a Hamza Division militant in Afrin said.

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The Guardian – Nagorno-Karabakh: at least three Syrian fighters killed

At least three Syrian opposition fighters have been killed in skirmishes in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Guardian has learned, confirming earlier reports of foreign involvement in the battle between Armenian and Azerbaijan over the territory and increasing fears it may spiral into a wider regional conflict.

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Azerbaijani authorities must cease crackdown on dissenting voices, and release political prisoners – HRHF

Over the summer, the international community witnessed the detention, sanction, or conviction of political activists following a largely peaceful demonstration on 14-15 July. Just last week, the latest efforts by the authorities to silence opposition voices resulted in the sentencing of Tofig Yagublu following trumped-up charges of hooliganism, reads a statement of the Human Rights House Foundation.

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