AD HOC PUBLIC REPORT ORGANIZED HATE SPEECH AND ANIMOSITY TOWARDS ETHNIC ARMENIANS IN AZERBAIJAN AS ROOT CAUSES OF ETHNICALLY BASED TORTURE AND INHUMAN TREATMENT BY AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES

From early morning of 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan began launching indiscriminate military aggressive air and artillery attacks against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) along the entire line of the border, targeting also civilian communities and peaceful population.   The Azerbaijani military aggression of September-November, 2020 was accompanied by organized intensively hate speech and animosity against ethnic Armenians (Armenophobia) enjoying state support in this country.

Targeted and professional monitoring of Azerbaijani and Turkish mass media and social networks by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh have revealed hatred and incitement to hatred and calls for violence, including calls for killings, torture and inhuman treatment. It’s about widespread and organized social network users and group pages, as well as mass media from Turkish and Azerbaijani sources.

The torture, inhuman treatment and brutalities of Armenian soldiers and civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as the acts of vandalism and deliberate destruction of Armenian religious and historicalcultural heritage are a result of Azerbaijani’s hatred policy towards ethnic Armenians.  

The mentioned materials were being disseminated and still continue to be spread through Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and other social media networks by targeting Armenian mass media and social network users, including minors. Monitoring revealed that all the above-mentioned is being encouraged by authorities of Azerbaijan.

The analyzed data shows a worrying trend of extremist Armenophobia in all segments of Azerbaijani society.  
 
The current report documents Armenophobia by public authorities, including high-ranking officials and public figures (cultural, sports representatives, etc.) of Azerbaijan, as well as hate speech in general public.  This report paid particular attention to hate speech and animosity towards Armenian children. 
 
The report illustrates the widespread and organized hate speech and animosity as root causes ethnicallybased killings, torture and inhuman treatment of ethnic Armenians.  
 
These are parts of a state policy of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan. Thus, as illustrated in the current report, Armenophobia is in a closed chain in Azerbaijan being generated by through state policy; encouraged by cultural and other public figures and praised in the society with special targets towards children.  
 
The report is based on evidence confirming hate speech towards and animosity ethnic Armenians, particularly original citations of all evidence. 
 
All the evidence of hate speech and animosity towards Armenians presented in this report is not meant to be exhaustive or is not meant to cover all cases of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan. 
 
All these factors evidence Azerbaijani policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide with terroristic methods against the population of Artsakh by Azerbaijani armed forces during the September-November 2020 war.