On September 16, Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan received a delegation led by Baroness Caroline Cox, Member of the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender presented the facts of violation of the rights of the RA border residents due to the Azerbaijani authorities in the post-war period.
Arman Tatoyan noted that it is wrong to consider the issues related to Armenia’s state border only from the military-political point of view, as human rights are pushed to the background, the opportunities to protect those rights are limited.
The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia noted that due to the illegal actions of Azerbaijan, people were deprived of their houses, lands and grasslands, which belonged to them even in Soviet times, as a result of which not only social but also serious security problems arose.
The illegal presence of the Azerbaijani military in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, for example, in Lake Sev (Black Lake), has caused serious security problems for the surrounding settlements, as they are targeted and the Azerbaijani military is firing.
Besides, most people are not able to engage in cattle breeding, which is the source of income for their families, and in Gegharkunik province, they are not able to keep cattle and small cattle in pastures. Animals cannot drink water or graze in separate places. The availability of water resources is endangered not only in Syunik, but also in Gegharkunik province. Moreover, a number of villages are deprived of water.
Arman Tatoyan stressed that the demarcation with Azerbaijan without creating a security zone, without removing the Azerbaijani armed forces, their signs and cameras will cause new rights violations and new tensions.
The Ombudsman made a separate reference to his recently published special report on Azerbaijan's responsibility for torturing and inhumanely treating Armenian captives. Arman Tatoyan noted that the special report presents concrete evidence of torture and inhuman treatment of Armenian captives, facts with high reliability.
The document was sent to international structures, as well as to Armenia’s state bodies and non-governmental organizations.
