-A Dangerous Azerbaijan Propaganda-

Following the cease-fire signed on November 9th, it seemed that the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan may come to an end. With both sides agreeing on exchanging the prisoners of war and the dead, as well as promising the end of hostilities with the help of Russian peacekeeping force protecting and keeping the status quo in Lachin corridor, gave a nicely pictured but unconvincing idea of peace.

Unconvincing, because despite the cease-fire being signed and many territories of Nagorno-Karabakh handed over to Azerbaijan, the soldiers of Azerbaijan have continued their inhumane behavior towards the prisoners of war.

A new video shows a tied Armenian solder used as a punching bag. Lying on the ground, hands tied behind his bag and with a vacant look in his eyes, he was slapped, hit, kicked, and hit against the ground by Azeri solder.

The latest video leaked on Twitter today, on December 17th,  shows Azeri soldiers kicking a tied Armenian soldier in the face, asking him to answer: ”Karabakh is Azerbaijan or Armenia?”.

Under such torture, the prisoner answers that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, but the kicking doesn’t stop. Then, Azeri says what seems to be on every Azerbaijan’s mind: ”Armenia is Azerbaijan too.”

It seems that the Azerbaijan Army, along with the extreme level of brutality, is armed with very dangerous propaganda. In the minds of Azeri, Nagorno-Karabakh is not the only thing that’s Azerbaijan’s, Armenia is too. A video posted yesterday, on December 16th shows captured Armenian soldiers being forced to say ”Karabakh is Azerbaijan”, showing how lately the Azeri Army members seem to be focused on spreading certain propaganda, along with torturing prisoners of war. The question is – where is this propaganda coming from?

Arman Taoyan, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender has recently presented special booklets of the Azerbaijani military.

All of them contain maps depicting the Republic of Armenia as a historical territory of Azerbaijan. This has in many ways uncovered why Azerbaijan Army seems to think that stopping at Nagorno-Karabakh is not enough. But the maps are not the worst thing about these booklets.

The maps are accompanied by texts, a fantasy-like thesis of propaganda with the single goal to spread hostility and Armenophobia alongside the Azerbaijani military. All evidence show Azerbaijani authorities are the responsible ones for this propaganda. Arman Taoyan also says all of the text has expressed deep hatred toward Armenians, creating a system of propaganda of hatred towards Armenians based on ethnicity.

The support of the Azerbaijan authorities is what makes the Azeri commit so many war crimes. And in their mind, they are doing what they have been taught for years, even before the war.

They have been taught by these booklets, that all Armenians, civilians or prisoners, deserve death in the most gruesome and brutal way. The reason? Because they are Armenians.

Arman Tanoyan also says this matter ”concerns the guarantee of the entire Armenian people’s rights to life, property and all others rights, their protection from torture and inhuman treatment,” and he has called upon international human rights organizations to ”take decisive action to prevent a reprehensible propaganda of hatred and enmity towards Armenians based on ethnicity, using information that is clearly untrue”.

He is currently in the process of gathering all the evidence and accompanying analysis in hopes of sending them to international bodies that will help him guarantee the protection of all Armenian people.

Nagorno-Karabagh