On 12 April 2021, a so-called “exhibition-park” related to the September-November 2020 war was opened in Baku. The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia wrote about this, noting that the so-called “park” dedicated to the Artsakh war in Baku, opened with state support, is proof of Armenophobia and Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy.
“In the ‘park,’ alongside Armenian military equipment, figures (mannequins) of Armenian armed forces servicemen are displayed, all presented in a humiliating state that tramples their dignity. This was done with the widest possible publicity.
From the published videos and photos of the ‘park,’ it is evident that the exhibition was made to increase and encourage hatred and enmity toward the Armenians of Armenia and Artsakh, and the citizens of Armenia. The displays were made with cynicism, to publicly belittle the memory of those killed in the war, the missing and prisoners, and to trample the rights and dignity of their families.
With the same cynicism, the personal belongings of the soldiers of Armenia and Artsakh are displayed, and the display of the helmets of fallen servicemen was done with the obvious knowledge that it would cause additional suffering to their families, to Armenian and Artsakh society, and would generate new hatred in Azerbaijani society.
The Azerbaijani authorities have also displayed scenes related to Armenian prisoners in the opened ‘park.’ This step is particularly condemnable against the background that in Azerbaijan, prisoners — servicemen and civilians — continue to be held illegally, in gross violation of international human rights requirements.
It is obvious to the Azerbaijani authorities that this sensitive issue would cause mental pain and suffering to the families of the missing and prisoners, and to Armenian society in general.
Numerous complaints and alerts with this content have been addressed to the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, and alarming publications have also been recorded on social networks.
The monitoring of the Defender’s staff has brought to light Azerbaijani social media posts regarding the exhibition (we will publish that evidence separately), which only welcome and encourage the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan, while the comments testify to obvious Armenophobia and enmity.
The opening of such a ‘park’ clearly confirms the fact of the existence of a state policy of systematic Armenophobia and propaganda of enmity in Azerbaijan. That policy has been consistently implemented for years and is confirmed by clear evidence.
The cruelties and tortures, the killings, which Azerbaijani armed forces servicemen committed against Armenian servicemen and civilians both during the September-November 2020 months, the April 2016 military operations, and other Azerbaijani armed attacks, are a consequence of that policy.
It was the state-sponsored enmity that caused Azerbaijani servicemen to brutally torture and kill Armenian servicemen and civilians, acting with open faces, with exceptional cynicism, without even thinking about responsibility and confident that they would only be praised for it.
Therefore, the displays of the ‘park’ dedicated to the September-November 2020 war clearly reaffirm Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy toward the entire population of Armenia and Artsakh.
This absolutely vicious phenomenon once again proves that we must not allow ourselves to be lulled by Azerbaijan’s fake peacefulness; it is simply a veil intended for the international community.
This statement of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia will be sent to international bodies, with a special note that it is precisely these steps of the highest Azerbaijani authorities that lead to torture, cruelties, and completely undermine peace and solidarity in the region,” the statement said.
