Not fake: BBC studies videos of execution of two Armenian POWs by Azeri soldiers
“Videos of a potential war crime have emerged as fighting rages around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians,” BBC News reported on Saturday.
According to the report, one video posted on a messaging app shows what appears to be two Armenians in military uniforms being captured by troops from Azerbaijan, while a second video seemingly shows the same Armenians being shot with their hands behind their backs.
Armenian authorities have identified the men as Benik Hakobyan, 73, and 25-year-old Yuri Adamyan.
“Azerbaijan has dismissed the videos as fake,” the media outlet said.
The BBC has studied the clips and confirmed that they were filmed in Hadrut, a town that has seen intense fighting and is located in southern Nagorno-Karabakh.
The BBC has confirmed that the man giving commands in both videos is a native Azerbaijani speaker with a regional accent.
“It's likely the videos were recorded at some point between 9-15 October. Azerbaijan announced that Hadrut had been taken on 9 October, although it later emerged that, while they had taken some strategic heights around the town, fierce fighting was still going on for control of the town itself on 12 October.
“The first videos actually showing the Azerbaijan army in the town centre appeared on 15 October. The POW videos both appeared for the first time on 15 October. Bellingcat open-source investigators were the first to publish their analysis into the authenticity of the videos,” BBC News said.
Europe's top human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, has said it has received the video and will look into all alleged human rights abuses and take action when appropriate.
Related news
- Armenian ombudsman formally labels Azerbaijan’s execution of two POWs as ‘undeniable war crime’
- Armenia applies to ECHR over murder of Armenian POWs, mutilation of dead bodies by Azerbaijani troops