Azerbaijan celebrated a victory over Armenian fighters with a macabre display of the helmets of Armenian soldiers and wax dolls changed to appear as grotesque caricatures of Armenians. The helmets apparently come from the war that Azerbaijan fought last year against Armenians in Nagorna-Karabkah, a disputed area.
For some online, the images and caricatures evoked ‘genocide’, with reports comparing the helmets to ‘trophies’ collected by other regimes. For Azerbaijan, it is an example of a victory in a war last year. It is unclear how the war wounds will heal to celebrate the victory with helmets of the dead.
Last year’s war, which lasted more than a month, forced tens of thousands of Armenians to flee, churches were bombed and drones used by Azerbaijan to destroy Armenian forces in Artsakh, an area in Azerbaijan that was once autonomous and which ruled by Armenians since the 1990s. Russia has withdrawn to impose a ceasefire.
Turkey encouraged Azerbaijan in its war goals, and even sent Syrian mercenaries who recruited Turkey. The war included scenes of human rights violations, including alleged beheading of Armenians and murder of Armenian prisoners of war. Azerbaijan has rejected allegations of abuse, but videos appear to document it. Azerbaijan has complained about Armenia firing missiles at Azerbaijani cities without exception.
There is great outrage on social media over the photos of the exhibits. One video shows a pro-Azerbaijan journalist slamming his helmets while talking to the camera. Others show men in suits touring the facility and taking photos of the mannequins. The twisted faces of the mannequins make them appear horrible, deliberately caricatured to dehumanize Armenians.
In Washington last September and October, pro-Turkey lobbyists and Western commentators who are pro-Turkey are trying to characterize the war as Iran and Russia. Turkey has long sought to gain the favor of the Trump administration for its aggressive policies by pretending to confront Iran. Armenia, threatened by Turkey and Azerbaijan, has long had to seek help from Russia. Russia has sold Turkey S-400s and is working with Turkey and Iran on Syrian policy.
It was unclear how last year was a setback for Iran to destroy the lives of Armenians, to bomb churches and to celebrate deceased Armenians. The war was encouraged by Turkey to take place before the US election, as Ankara may have feared that if Trump lost his blank check to Syrian mercenaries to wage wars, it would diminish. US President Joe Biden has tried to make human rights an important part of his foreign policy. Today, Russia’s role in Nagorna – Karabakh has expanded.