Azerbaijani Soldiers Provoked a Scuffle and Deliberately Opened Fire, Killing an Armenian Soldier: Ombudsman

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, wrote on his Facebook page: “The government of Armenia is obligated to take effective measures to ensure the rights of all citizens of Armenia, while the international community must put an end to its passive stance and immediately take decisive actions to prevent the blatant illegal and criminal acts of the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as the ongoing violations of human rights and the real threats of new infringements.

Particularly, the findings collected by the Armenian Human Rights Defender demonstrate that on May 25, 2021, Azerbaijani soldiers illegally positioned in the sovereign territory of Armenia in the Upper Shorja area of the Vardenis community issued openly illegal demands for Armenian armed forces to leave the area, threatening them, and then provoked a scuffle resulting in the deliberate firing that killed an Armenian soldier.

According to reports, in the days leading up to today’s incident, Azerbaijani military personnel also attempted to provoke armed confrontations and instigated incidents of brawls while illegally present in Armenia. These events have occurred both in Gegharkunik and Syunik.

The Human Rights Defender specifically emphasizes that these situations pose a real threat to the civilian population of Armenia. This concerns areas used for grazing and pasturing by civilians where they graze their livestock and reside during the spring, summer, and autumn months.

The Armenian Human Rights Defender is convinced that the specific actions described by Azerbaijani armed personnel are serious threats directed against the civil population of Gegharkunik and Syunik (for example, their illegal attempts to advance towards Khuznavor, Verishen, Akner, Kut, Ayrk, Upper Shorja villages, etc.).

These actions need to be viewed in the context of the illegal incursions into the sovereign territory of Armenia on May 12 and 13, 2021, and the threats posed to shepherds in the villages of Gegharkunik and Syunik through showing weapons, inciting provocations near the border areas, and causing tensions among the civilian population.

The described actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces must also be viewed in the context of the hatred and enmity policy of Azerbaijani high-ranking authorities. It is important to consider the ongoing criminal acts of Azerbaijani soldiers against border residents of Armenia following the war (such as hitting Armenian civilian vehicles with stones on the Goris-Kapan road, assaulting a shepherd in Aravus and hitting him in the eye, blocking the road from Kapan to Jakatn village with an Azerbaijani vehicle, and grossly violating the right to free movement of villagers, threatening shepherds from Armenia with weapons, and other incidents).

Clearly, this poses a real threat from the Azerbaijani armed forces to the entire population of Armenia, undermining peace and security in the region.

The Armenian Human Rights Defender will continue to send evidence-based reports and communications to international bodies about the real situation on the ground.

Arman Tatoyan
Human Rights Defender of Armenia