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Six criminal cases were initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Nagorno Krabakh Republic over the murders and tortures of NKR servicemen during the military offensive of Azerbaijani forces on April 2-5, 2016. As Panorama.am learnt from the NKR the Prosecutor General's Office, three criminal cases concern the decapitation of a Yazidi-Armenian soldier Kyaram Sloyan, 19, driver Hrant Gharibyan and Major Hayk Torosyan, 31. Another 19 criminal cases were instituted over the tortures of 19 servicemen in Azerbaijani captivity.

As the report by the Prosecutor General's Office reads, forensic examinations of the bodies of the deceased reveal Sloyan and Gharibyan were beheaded after they had been killed, and Hayk Torosyan was decapitated while being alive.

NKR Prosecutor General's Office representative Karen Gabrielyan told Panorama.am that only one severed head has been handed over to the Armenian side.

Other criminal cases concern servicemen Rafik Hakobyan and Aghasi Asatryan “Their ears were cut and bodies bore signs of tortured,” Gabrielyan noted.

“The examination revealed that their bodies were mutilated, ears cut off. Andranik Zohrabyan’s wrist was cut off before his death,” Gabrielyan said.

The Prosecutor General's Office next reports other cases of abuse. The Azerbaijani servicemen cut off the ears of Rafik Hakobyan, Aghasi Asatryan, Andranik Zohrabyan, Robert Abajyan, Alexan Arakelyan, Onik Grigoryan, Roman Poghosyan, Suren Melkumyan, Maxim Grigoryan, Zhora Yesayan, Bagrat Alexanyan, Boris Ozmanyan, Grigor Harutyunyan, Adam Sahakyan, Andranik Grigoryan. Tigran Berakchyan’s ears and the fingers of the right hand were cut off. The right ear of Arman Andreasyan was cut off and he also had cuts on his breast. A finger on Azat Simonyan's right hand was cut off and Ashot Shahbazyan's right eye was poked out.

To remind, earlier Nagorno Karabakh Republic Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) issued interim public reporton atrocities committed by Azerbaijani military forces against the civilian population of the NKR and the servicemen of the NKR Defence Army on 2-5 April 2016. The Report was sent to international human rights organizations, ombudsmen’s international institutions and to respective foreign institutions.

“All medicalexaminations carried out within the scope of the criminal investigation are completed. At this point the criminal cases have been suspended due to insurmountable circumstances,” Gabrielyan informed, recalling the grounds for acquittal of the cases envisaged by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

“Suspension does not mean completion of the criminal proceedings,” noted Gabrielyan, adding that NKR Prosecutor General’s Office ready to submit the materials of the criminal investigations to local and international human rights organizations and structures.