The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on Azerbaijan to release hostages taken following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War ran for a month and a half from the end of September to mid-November 2020 and was fought primarily between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Thousands of people were killed during the campaign, with tens of thousands wounded.
The war was merely a temporary escalation of a conflict which has lasted for nearly 40 years, with varying degrees of intensity, and remains unresolved to this day.
The conflict stems from the treatment of the Armenian minority living within Azerbaijan, mostly in the region known as Nagorno-Karabakh, where they represent a majority of the population.
Although not explicitly a religious conflict, Islamic countries have tended to side with Azerbaijan, which is predominantly Muslim. By contrast, Armenia holds a special place in history as the first official Christian country, adopting the religion in 301 AD.
During the 2020 war, Azerbaijan was victorious, managing to secure control of the vast majority of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Now the WCC has said it is deeply concerned about Azerbaijan continuing to take prisoners, despite the war officially ending over four years ago.
In a statement to the UN Human Rights Council, Prof Dr Ani Ghazaryan Drissi, programme executive of the WCC Ecumenical Theological Education, said, "The taking and holding of hostages violate fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, and constitute a serious breach of human rights.”
According to the WCC, at least 23 Armenians, some of them civilians, have been “illegally captured” by Azerbaijan, with many of them being subjected to “torture and degrading treatment”.
The WCC demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, adding that by holding them Azerbaijan is undermining the peace process as well as violating due process.
“The World Council of Churches continues to stand in solidarity with the Armenian Church and people and all those affected by this situation, and reaffirms its commitment to justice and peace," said Dr Drissi.
