Azeri soldiers arrested over alleged war crimes

Four Azerbaijani soldiers have been arrested by the state's prosecutor for allegedly defiling the bodies of fallen Armenian soldiers in last month's territorial war.

Azeri service members take part in a parade to mark victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Baku [File: Aziz Karimov/Reuters]

The troops are also accused of inhumanely treating Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and defacing gravestones belonging to Armenian civilians. Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office called the soldier's alleged actions "regrettable" and "illegal" which could constitute of war crimes.

Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out mid-October and ended on November 10th when both sides agreed to a fourth ceasefire, this time brokered by the Russians.

Both sides lost a collective total of 5,600 troops. It's not known how many civilians died as a result of the conflict, but the numbers are projected to be in the hundreds with Armenian casualties in the majority.

Azerbaijan's large number of troops and superior military equipment helped them dominate the battlefield, forcing many Armenian soldiers as well as civilians to flee pockets of the then disputed territory of Norgona-Kharabk.

The prosecutor's office said in moments of victory Azeri soldiers would film themselves defacing graves--specifically at a cemetery in Madatli village-- and "sent them to other people through social networks.”

Armenia has not commented on the arrest or indicated signs of launching an investigation into its own conduct during the war, per the Dec 2nd request by Human Rights Watch. By: Niza Nondo