Killing of Anush Apetyan

Anush Apetyan (1986–2022) was an Armenian soldier and mother of three children, aged 16, 15, and 4 at the time of her death. During the Azerbaijani military operation against Armenian territory on 13–14 September 2022, Apetyan was captured alive along with more than ten other Armenian soldiers, according to the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

Following her capture, a video showing the torture and mutilation of a captive woman was circulated on Telegram by Azerbaijani forces. The woman in the footage was later identified as Anush Apetyan. The footage showed severe abuse and mutilation, while Azerbaijani soldiers surrounding her were seen celebrating and mocking her. Apetyan was tortured, mutilated, raped, and killed by Azerbaijani forces.

The case drew international attention and condemnation. On 20 September 2022, Kıymet Yıldır, spokesperson for the Dicle Amed Women's Platform (DAKP), publicly condemned the killing of Apetyan during gatherings of women in Turkish cities including Van, Diyarbakır, and Istanbul. These gatherings also condemned the killing of Jina (Mahsa) Amini by Iranian police, linking the two cases in a joint statement against violence toward women. Separately, the Armenian Women's Union issued a statement, read by co-chairs Anahîd Qasabyan and Arbî Kespiryan at Leader Öcalan Park in Hasakah (Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria), condemning both the killing of Apetyan by Azerbaijani forces and the killing of Amini by Iranian authorities, calling on women to unite against tyranny.

In the United States, Senator Bob Menendez, then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called for an end to U.S. financial and military aid to Azerbaijan following the emergence of the video, stating that U.S. foreign policy should not support states committing war crimes. The Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide characterized the killing as part of what it described as a broader "genocidal policy" by Azerbaijan toward the Armenian population.

Gardashkhan Abishov, an Azerbaijani soldier who was investigated for abusing Armenian soldiers and for sharing a video of Apetyan's mutilation, was later awarded by President Ilham Aliyev for "protecting Azerbaijan's borders." No individual has been named as charged, convicted, or otherwise formally adjudicated in connection with Apetyan's death.