Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights

FREE ALL ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR! 

THE GOVERNMENT OF AZERBAIJAN CONTINUES TO TORTURE, ABUSE, AND MURDER ILLEGALLY HELD ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR!

Recent news reports have confirmed the extra judicial torture and, subsequent, murder of 19 of more than 250 illegally held Armenian prisoners of war and civilian non-combatants by the government of Azerbaijan within its state-run prisons and rendition sites.

Twelve of the nineteen murdered prisoners of war, were actually civilian non-combatants and, of these, four were women.

The government of Azerbaijan and its armed forces continue to deny the release of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians in their custody in direct opposition to the tripartite peace agreement of November 10, 2020, stipulating explicitly their release. Azeri authorities continue the torture, abuse, and murder of Armenians in their custody in flagrant disregard of all international norms, as well as international and interstate laws and conventions governing wartime captives and prisoners of war.

The Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC) and the Yerevan-based International and Comparative Law Center (ICLC) have joined forces in a united effort to secure the release of all prisoners of war currently held in captivity, under inhumane circumstances, by the government of Azerbaijan, as well as the return of the remains of those murdered while in Azeri custody.

The ALC and ICLC will continue to pursue Azeri and Turkish human rights violations, as well as violations by non-state actors--particularly foreign mercenaries deployed to the territory of the Artsakh Republic by Azerbaijan and Turkey and remunerated by these very same, during their recent unprovoked aggression against Armenia and Artsakh.

The ALC and ICLC will also seek damage claims for harm and injuries suffered by both civilian and military personnel at the hands of Azerbaijan’s armed forces and the aforementioned terrorist mercenaries.

The filing and ongoing pursuit of these cases integral to the mission of freedom and justice for all Armenian prisoners of war demands great sacrifice from many volunteers and center staff. These pivotal cases, being brought forth in international judicial tribunals and courts, also require substantial funds to make freedom for those held and tortured a reality.

Therefore, to guarantee freedom for Armenian prisoners still in Azeri captivity—and, somehow, still alive—the ALC and ICLC need your immediate support to reach an initial goal of $25,000 in order to sustain the Center’s urgent and critical efforts.

Your generous donations will go a long way in attaining three immediate goals, among others.

First, the return of Armenian prisoners of war (POW’s) and civilian captives illegally held by Azerbaijan. There are currently an estimated 250 or more POW’s still in captivity suffering unimaginable humiliation, torture, and horrors on a daily basis.

Second, the return of the bodies and/or remains of Armenians currently in Azeri hands, as well as soldiers listed as Missing in Action (MIA). Current estimates cite that there are more than 2,500 Armenian military personnel, including non-combatants, which the Azeri government refuses to return to their families. These families are inconsolable beyond words and have no recourse for the recovery of remains of their sons or daughters, their husbands or fathers, except through these legal channels.

Third, attaining justice for all those Armenian soldiers and civilians who were, and continue to be, tortured at the hands of the Azeri government and armed forces during their captivity, as well as for those beheaded, mutilated, skinned alive, and tortured during the genocidal aggression against Artsakh and Armenia in 2020. These war crimes and beastial horrors were often intentionally caught on camera by their very same Azeri perpetrators and, then, posted across social media for the world to witness in shock and horror.

The CICL will, initially, bring cases before the European Court for Human Rights wherein CICL human rights attorneys and barristers have established an impressive track record of success. They will also put forth cases before other international tribunals, as appropriate, including various United Nations bodies. ALC funds and strategic consultations will allow the CICL to accelerate this process and aggressively pursue hundreds of outstanding cases, now. Our collective goals are to secure the release of each and every Armenian illegally held by Azerbaijan, as soon as possible, bring them home to be reunited with their families, return the remains of our murdered soldiers, and seek justice for those tortured--and still being tortured--at the hands of the Azeri state.

ACT NOW TO DIRECTLY HELP IN SECURING THE RELEASE OF ALL ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR, THOSE MISSING IN ACTION, AND TO HOLD THE CRIMINAL STATE OF AZERBAIJAN RESPONSIBLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, TORTURE, AND WAR CRIMES!

FREE ALL ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR NOW…!

NO ONE SHALL BE LEFT BEHIND…!

The ALC is a U.S. based 501 c (3) tax exempt entity and donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Donations should be mailed to the Armenian Legal Center at 1711 N Street, NW, Washington DC 20036.