Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of religiously-motivated torture of Christian Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani military personnel.

The UK Government is aware of allegations that prisoners of war were subject to mistreatment and torture during and after the 2020 conflict. Such reports are deeply concerning. The former Minister for Europe and Americas, Wendy Morton MP, raised our concerns with the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers both during and after the conflict, and urged that all allegations were thoroughly investigated. In discussions with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors in November, she also urged the parties to prioritise the return of all prisoners of war and detainees. The UK Government will continue to raise these issues and to support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to facilitate discussions with a view to settling all outstanding matters related to the conflict.