We have information that some of the Azerbaijani border guards on the roads of [Armenia’s] Syunik [Province] are in fact soldiers in changed clothes. The Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, stated this at Wednesday’s press conference dedicated to his report on the torture and inhuman treatment of Armenians in Azerbaijani captivity.

Speaking about the crimes committed by the Azerbaijani border guards during the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war last fall, Tatoyan first of all mentioned the October 20 attack on a group of Armenian soldiers who were going from Kapan, Armenia, to the Kovsakan (Zangelan) region of Artsakh. Some of these 61 people were killed, and the others were taken prisoner. The facts testify to the Azerbaijani cruelty and desecration of the bodies. The ombudsman showed a photo where the Azerbaijani military were cutting off the ears of the fallen Armenians.

"The Azerbaijani border guards were tying the dead, or the alive, to cars and dragging them," the he added.

Also, Tatoyan noted that the uniforms, weapons, cars, and even the faces of some of the Azerbaijani border guards have been identified.

"The same border guards are standing on the roads of Syunik and neighboring villages. They have blocked the interstate road [recently]," Tatoyan said. "All this is the consequence of the Armenophobic policy. That is why we say that their presence on the [Armenian] road and near the villages is a violation of the right to life and free movement. Mechanisms of accountability for mass crimes should be introduced. Unless those who committed crimes are brought to account, there is a great risk of their recurrence. The study of the situation shows that the violations have become more frequent: firing on the villages, threats to villagers, deliberate fires in order to create problems in connection with food, blockade of roads.”