Human Rights Defender Representatives Visit Armenian Soldiers Hospitalized After Incident Near Lake Sevan

By the directive of the Human Rights Defender, representatives from the division for the protection of the rights of soldiers and their families visited a military hospital today and met with Armenian soldiers hospitalized due to injuries sustained from an incident provoked by Azerbaijani servicemen near Lake Sevan.

Specifically, on the evening of May 20, 2021, an alert was received by the Human Rights Defender regarding an incident that occurred between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers on the same day, resulting in injuries to several of our servicemen. Shortly after the alert, information about the incident was also published by media outlets.

Following the alert, necessary steps were taken by the Defender's Office to gather and study the facts. Upon transferring the Armenian servicemen to a hospital in Yerevan, a visit was conducted at the hospital. Individual conversations were held with the contracted soldiers, and the medical documentation of the injured servicemen was examined. Information was documented about their health status as well as that of other soldiers receiving treatment in another military hospital in Armenia.

During investigations and individual interviews conducted by the Human Rights Defender's Office, it became clear that on May 20, 2021, Azerbaijani armed personnel attempted to occupy a hill in the territory adjacent to Lake Sevan, specifically deeper towards the village of Khoznavar, citing an openly false map.

The Armenian soldiers demanded the Azerbaijani soldiers return to their original positions. Initially, they indicated they agreed to do so, but some time later, in the evening, displaying aggressive behavior, they deliberately provoked a scuffle and attacked the Armenian soldiers with a group of several dozen servicemen.

Overall, the incident lasted about 20-30 minutes, after which the Azerbaijani soldiers were forced to leave the area. The representatives of the Human Rights Defender discussed the health status of the Armenian soldiers with the hospital medical staff. According to the doctors' assessments, all soldiers' health conditions are satisfactory; they primarily sustained minor injuries to their hands, facial areas, or other light degrees and continue to receive necessary medical assistance.

The collected information is currently being summarized at the Human Rights Defender's office. The health situation of our soldiers is under the Defender's direct attention.

The Human Rights Defender regards the described actions of the Azerbaijani armed servicemen as a serious provocation, actually directed against the civilian population of the Armenian villages in Syunik, considering their illegal attempts to advance towards Khoznavar village.

The Human Rights Defender views the actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the context of illegally crossing the Armenian sovereign territory on May 12 and 13, 2021, and threatening the shepherds of the villages of Gegharkunik and Syunik with the display of weapons while provoking incidents near border areas, thus creating tensions among the civilian population.

All these openly illegal and criminal actions of the Azerbaijani soldiers should be viewed as part of a unified intention. It is also necessary to emphasize that the supreme commander responsible for the provocations and various instigations by the Azerbaijani armed servicemen is the President of Azerbaijan, who continuously speaks in a threatening language about the entire population of Armenia and encourages animosity and antagonism through messages and policies.

International organizations should take into account the real connection between these factors and reassess who is genuinely disrupting peace and tranquility in the region, as well as the true causes of human rights violations and atrocities.

The incident once again confirms the absolute necessity of establishing a security zone as proposed by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.