Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that captured Armenians have been beheaded and tortured by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces; and what steps they are taking (1) to bring to justice those responsible for, and (2) to prevent, any such crimes.

We are deeply concerned by accusations from both sides that war crimes were committed. Where it is possible to verify reports of alleged violations, we will do so and we will raise these with the parties involved. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood spoke to both the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers on 28 October and highlighted UK concern over reports of war crimes. The UK's position remains that States have the primary responsibility to prosecute crimes within their national jurisdiction.