Tuesday, October 4 2022 11:22

ArmInfo. After footage showing Azerbaijani forces executing Armenian soldiers who were  captured by the enemy during the September 13 attacks, the United  States, Europe and others called for an investigation and condemned  the incident, Asbarez reports.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price called for a full and  impartial investigation into the execution of Armenian prisoners by  Azerbaijani soldiers.

"The United States is deeply troubled by recent reports that  Azerbaijani soldiers are executing unarmed Armenian prisoners. We  call for a full and impartial investigation. Those responsible for  each atrocity must be brought to justice," Price wrote on his Twitter  page.

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in  Georgia Toivo Klaar was the first to commented on the video.

"Another horrible video has emerged of Armenian prisoners of war  apparently being executed. If this video is proven to be authentic  then this is a war crime that needs to be investigated and the  perpetrators punished," Klaar tweeted.

He added that if the authenticity of the video is confirmed, then it  is a war crime.

Armenia's Defense Ministry and the office of the Human Rights  Defender on Monday separately confirmed that the video is authentic.

The British Embassy in Armenia said it "is horrified by the footage  showing captured Armenian soldiers being shot by Azerbaijani forces."

In true form, however, it failed to condemn Azerbaijan and instead  welcomed an announcement by Baku, which claimed it will investigate  the incident captured on video.

"We welcome the announcement by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's  Office of their commitment to comprehensively investigate the video.  We expect the outcome of the investigations to be made public. We  expect all allegations of mistreatment, abuse and summary killings to  be fully investigated by the appropriate authorities," added the  British Embassy.

The European Union also called on the authorities of Azerbaijan to  immediately investigate the footage that has gone viral, in which  Azerbaijani soldiers brutally shoot Armenian soldiers who had already  been taken prisoner in an Armenian military position, said Peter  Stano, a spokesperson for the European Union's Foreign Affairs and  Security Policy.

"We call for an immediate investigation by the relevant authorities.  The footage, which shows how Azerbaijani soldiers execute Armenian  soldiers, should be investigated by the Azerbaijani authorities," he  said.

According to Stano, if the results of the investigation prove the  authenticity of the footage, it is a war crime and a clear violation  of international law.

"Such a crime should be condemned," he added.