news has seen the video, but chooses not to publish the content in its entirety. The video must have been filmed in mid-September in connection with the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It shows several men in military uniforms being knocked to the ground by a group of armed men. Shortly after, several of the armed men start shooting the men on the ground. The video of the executions has caused strong reactions. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan strongly condemns the act on social media. – The international community should take action to stop Azerbaijan’s aggression, he writes. A clip from a video showing several unarmed men dressed in military uniforms being shot at close range. news has cut away the parts showing the executions. Armenian authorities claim the video is real. Azerbaijan attacked Armenian territory – It was probably no coincidence that this video was released now. So says Helge Blakkisrud, senior researcher at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (Nupi). He explains that Armenia may want Western support in the conflict with Azerbaijan. Full-scale war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the autumn of 2020. The war ended with a tense truce, in which Armenia was supported by peacekeeping troops from Russia. But the conflict flared up again in the autumn. Then Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian territory. What is supposed to be an Azerbaijani soldier points a weapon at a group of prisoners of war. Photo: Screenshot Now Armenia is in a very stressful situation, explains Blakkisrud. As a result of the war in Ukraine, Russia has turned its attention elsewhere. – Russia has no soldiers to spare. So now Armenia probably stands quite alone, he says. – Could not be worse – Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia could not be worse. That’s what Berit Lindeman, secretary general of the Helsinki Committee, says. They work with human rights in several countries in Eastern Europe and Asia. Lindeman now fears that the conflict will escalate in the absence of Russian peacekeeping forces. – New skirmishes are constantly happening, at the latest on 28 September, she says. A man inspects a destroyed building after clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 15. Photo: PHOTOLURE / Reuters Believes the video is real Both the American and British authorities demand that the video is now investigated. – The US is deeply disturbed by the reports that Azerbaijani soldiers are executing unarmed Armenian prisoners of war, says Ned Price, spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Armenia’s Ombudsman Kristinne Grigoryan claims to have verified the video as genuine. Several international fact-checkers have also examined the video. They place the shooting to a mountain ridge in the west of Azerbaijan, right on the border with Armenia. Fjellryggen is said to have been attacked by Azerbaijani forces on 13 September. Azerbaijani authorities also announced on Monday that they will investigate the allegations of war crimes. The executions are said to have taken place on a mountain ridge in western Azerbaijan, on the border with Armenia. Little Armenia can put up with The conflict between those countries stretches back to the 1990s. At the time, Armenia occupied large parts of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, southwest of Azerbaijan. The war flared up again in autumn 2020. Then Azerbaijan recaptured large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. Up to 7,000 soldiers on both sides are said to have been killed during six weeks of fighting. The victories in 2020 gave Azerbaijan great self-confidence, believes Lindeman of the Helsinki Committee. – Among other things, they want to get a corridor through Armenian territory to Turkey, which is an important partner for Azerbaijan. After Russia withdrew, there is little Armenia can do, she says and continues: – Armenia now considers itself the losing party in the conflict. Armenian recruits in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020. Photo: Karen Mirzoyan / AP Should be skeptical One should therefore watch the video with skeptical eyes, believes Berit Lindeman. Armenia has an interest in accusing the neighboring country of war crimes. – But both countries accuse each other of gross abuse, she emphasizes. She receives support from Helge Blakkisrud at Nupi. – There is a lot of fear and hatred on both sides of the conflict. It helps make this a very brutal conflict with abuse on both sides. Friends and family mourn an Azerbaijani soldier who was killed on September 14. Photo: AZIZ KARIMOV / Reuters Speeding up peace talks Armenia and Azerbaijan were originally supposed to meet for peace talks in Switzerland in November. But due to the tense situation between the countries, the Azerbaijani authorities are said to have wanted to speed this up to October, according to Reuters. Helge Blakkisrud believes that Armenia is now in a weaker position in the peace negotiations than before. – After Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian territory, Armenia is primarily concerned with preserving the country’s territorial integrity. They are therefore willing to go further in the negotiations than before, he says. But he emphasizes: – There are still many reefs in the sea.
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Video will show Armenian prisoners of war being executed – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
