The Azerbaijan National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (ANP EaP CSF) condemns the physical torture and inhumane treatment of soldiers of the Azerbaijani armed forces Huseyn Ahliman Akhundov and Agshin Gabil Babirov by the Armenian military and civilians, and demands that the perpetrators of this illegal act be brought to justice as soon as possible.

The National Platform hereby states that the photo and video materials published in the Armenian media and Telegram channels on the torture and inhuman treatment of two captured Azerbaijani Armed Forces servicemen once again prove that Armenia violates the requirements of the Geneva Convention of 1949 and breached its obligations in relation to the detained persons, as a result, it undermines the confidence that the negotiations conducted for establishing peace and stability between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the mediation of the European Union would yield a positive result.

In addition, the National Platform notes that recently there was a substantial increase in calls for continuous provocation and hate speech by Armenia. Thus, on April 14, at the opening ceremony of the European weightlifting championship held in Yerevan, Armenia, the flag of Azerbaijan was burned in a declarative way aimed at inciting national hatred and enmity. This action, in addition to hindering the signing of the final peace agreement between the two countries, also has a negative impact on the establishment of durable trust and cooperation between the two societies.

The National Platform appreciates the initiation of the criminal proceedings on both the above-mentioned facts by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, calls for due investigation by the Armenian Government for earliest indictment of those in charge of torture and inhumane treatment to preclude the spread of hatred and enmity on ethnic grounds and demands elimination of the causes of similar behaviour.

As the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, we call on the National Platform of Armenia not to remain silent in the face of this disproportionate disrespect for human rights and international humanitarian law, to take into account the situation of Azerbaijani servicemen, to help them be released from captivity and returned to Azerbaijan.