PACE co-rapporteurs say reports about possible war crimes committed by Azerbaijanis need to be fully and independently investigated
The co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC) and Guiseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD), expressed their concern over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the ongoing tension along the line of contact following the escalation of military hostilities in April, reads the statement released by PACE press service.
According to the source, co-rapporteurs welcomed the announcement of the OSCE Minsk Co-chairs that the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to the establishment of an incident investigation mechanism under the aegis of the OSCE, which would be important for strengthening the ceasefire regime.
In addition, they stated: “We were informed of allegations of atrocities and possible war crimes having been committed during the recent outbreak of hostilities. These reports need to be fully and independently investigated, preferably in the framework of the Minsk Group, and if proven, those responsible should be held fully accountable and prosecuted under national and international humanitarian and human rights law. If left without investigation, these reports will continue to be a source of mistrust and tension between the parties to the conflict.”