Lawyers representing families of 19 Armenians captured during and since the 2020 war, and subsequently murdered, have filed appeals to the European Court of Human Rights, seeking compensation. A list of their names that include 12 civilians was published by Siranush Sahakyan and Artak Zeynalyan, the families’ legal representatives.
It is not a complete list of captured Armenians killed in Azerbaijani custody, however, with a number of other cases of civilians and dozens of military personnel reported to have been killed and documented so far.
The list published by Zeynalyan includes 12 civilians captured in Artsakh and subsequently killed:
Nina Davtyan, 80, killed in her home in the village of Vardashat in Hadrut district on or about October 10.
Anahit Movsisyan and her disabled son Misha Movsisyan killed in their home in Hadrut on October 10.
Serjik Vardanyan, 71, and his wife Ella Vardanyan, killed in their home in the town of Hadrut in the middle of October.
Elena Hakobyan, 67, killed in her home in the town of Hadrut in the middle of October.
Mushegh (Misha) Melkumyan, 83, captured in the town of Hadrut and killed in custody some time later.
Benik Hakobyan, 73, captured in the town of Hadrut and executed in the middle of October.
Arsen Gharakhanyan, 44, captured in the town of Hadrut on October 10 and killed in custody some three months later.
Yuri Asryan, 82, captured in the village of Azokh in Hadrut district and beheaded in late October.
Genady Petrosyan 69, captured in the village of Madatashen in Askeran district and beheaded in late October.
Eduard Shahgeldyan, 79, captured in the village of Avetaranots in Askeran district and killed days later in Baku.
Additionally, there are eighteen civilians, who were captured and killed, and whose deaths were documented by the office of Artsakh Ombudsman for Human Rights, who are not included in Zeynalyan’s list:
Hamayak Avetisyan, 55, killed in his home in the village of Norashen in Hadrut district in early October.
Minas Hakobyan, 66 and his son Yeghishe Hakobyan, 38, killed in their home in the village of Norashen in Hadrut district.
Henrikh Mirzoyan, 83, killed in the village of Norashen in Hadrut district.
David Davidyan (Davtyan), 86, killed in the village of Vardashat in Hadrut district.
Ernest Harutyunyan, 84, killed in his home in the town of Hadrut.
Valery Vardanyan, 73, killed in the village of Karmrakuch in Hadrut district.
Martik Avetisyan, 69, killed in his home in the village of Togh in Hadrut district.
Radik Stepanyan, 81, killed in his home in the village of Togh in Hadrut district, his body was found beheaded.
Vardan Altunyan, 81, killed in his home in the village of Mets Tagher in Hadrut district.
Slavik Galstyan, 68, killed in in his home in the village of Mets Tagher in Hadrut district.
Vahram Lalayan, 46, killed in his home in the village of Mets Tagher in Hadrut district.
Marine Hayrapetyan, 52, killed in her home in the village of Drakhtik in Hadrut district.
Alvard Tovmasyan, 51, killed in her home in the village of Karintak in Shushi district and her body dismembered.
Slavik Avagyan, 72, killed in his home in the town of Shushi.
Ashot Munchyan, 69, killed in his home in the town of Shushi.
Eduard Jamgaryan, 63, killed in his home in the town of Shushi.
Hamayak Mirzoyan, 80, killed in his home in the village of Shekher in Martuni district.
In recent months, during search and rescue operations, Artsakh’s emergency management service recovered the bodies of the following civilians killed in Azerbaijani custody:
Serjik Avagyan, 55, killed in his home in the village of Azokh in Hadrut district.
Yuri Arushanyan, 80, killed in his home in the village of Azokh in Hadrut district
Boris Baghdasaryan, an elderly civilian killed in the village of Avetaranots in Askeran district.
Thus, at least thirty-three captured Armenian civilians were killed in Azerbaijani custody. Seven of those killed are female. Most are 65 or older. Many had disabilities.
According to a report by Artsakh’s Ombudsman from last December, 25 executions of civilians were documented with further 40 civilians missing.
Separately, Zeynalyan published a list of seven military prisoners executed in Azerbaijani custody: Yuri Adamyan, 25, a reservist captured and executed in the town of Hadrut, as well as Erik Mkhitaryan, Gagik Mkrtchyan, Arayik Poghosyan, Vardkes Ghazaryan, Artur Manvelyan and Narek Babayan. Dozens of other Armenian servicemen are believed to have been killed in custody, including six 18-year-old servicemen killed on December 27, six weeks after the cease-fire: Grisha Grigoryan, Hayk Harutyunyan, Karen Nersisyan, Sasun Petrosyan, Samvel Sambatov and Albert Stepanyan.
The article was originally published on the website of ‘Focus on Karabakh‘, a platform of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies.
