Aliyev Awarded the Mutilator of the Killed Armenian Soldier’s Body in August

On September 17, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced the launch of an investigation after the video of the mutilation of the body of an Armenian female soldier was spread on the Internet.

According to the statement, Azerbaijan is investigating the alleged illegal actions for “inhumane treatment of the bodies of servicemen of the Armenian armed forces, as well as captured provocateurs.”

The authorities of Azerbaijan made such a statement after the 44-day war, in December 2020, when videos of the offensive actions against the bodies of Armenian soldiers, prisoners of war and civilians were spread on the Internet.

Azerbaijan even announced the arrest of those people.

The names of the four arrested soldiers are known: Gardashkhan Abishov (Qardaşxan Abışov), Rashad Aliyev (Rəşad Əliyev), Arzu Huseynov (Arzu Hüseynov)  and Umid Aghayev (Ümid Ağayev).

Gardashkhan Abishov and Rashid Aliyev, according to the official Baku, committed offensive actions against the bodies of dead Armenian servicemen in Zangelan (Kashatagh) region, filmed them on the phone and sent them to other people via social media. Arzu Huseynov and Umid Aghayev were accused of destroying Armenian tombstones.

During the previous two years, there was no information about the follow up of criminal cases.

In August of this year, however, the name of Gardashkhan Abishov appeared in another statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, this time about awards.

Soldiers of the border guard service of Azerbaijan were awarded on August 18 for “protecting the borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

Ani Avetisyan