THREAD
1/
https://asbarez.com/198877/armenian-prisoners-of-war-badly-mistreated-says-human-rights-watch/

I watched every video linked in this article, and it's all horrible. There shouldn't be any "whatsboutism" or apologism, the evidence is clear - and it should be prosecuted. @HikmetHajiyev has said an investigation is underway... (cont'd)

2/ However, I understand the skepticism of this actually resulting in anything, which I share based on the nature of the region + past history of events in the '90s not being prosecuted by and large. But it's a good thing to note that at least officially it's being condemned.

3/ Under the @hrw's tweet of these acts, many Azerbaijanis imo validly noted that the human rights abuses are being one-sided in a complete omission of war crimes against Azerbaijani POWs. For instance, there were Telegram videos of an Azerbaijani dead soldier tied to a tank...

4/ ...and being dragged across the ground while Armenian soldiers laugh. There's also an alleged video of Armenian soldiers slitting the throat of an Azerbaijani POW with a dagger, which I respect generally pro-Armenian journalists like @NeilPHauer for covering & condemning.

5/ However, these videos -- unlike, say, the earlier videos of two Armenian POWs being executed in mid October -- were completely unmentioned in Western media coverage or the HRW report (though HRW claimed they would write a report on those; let's hold them to their words).

6/ Human rights are human rights regardless of which side of a conflict one is on or who is the perceived aggressor/victim. All the aforementioned acts are inexcusable and must be condemned, and it doesn't help to forfeit the image of neutrality by selectively reporting on them.

7/ Finally, the mutual return of all POWs, overseen by third party mechanisms, is needed asap. Long term there should also ideally be a post-war reconciliation prosecution of such crimes like there was in the Balkans, but b/c no international forces on the ground that's unlikely.