Azerbaijan's Gunfire Today Lasted About 3 Hours: Ombudsman Provides Details

Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire today near the villages of Verin Shorja and Kut in the Gegharkunik region. This information was shared by the Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan.

"The Azerbaijani armed forces began firing around 16:30. The gunfire ceased only around 19:30," he wrote on his Facebook page, noting that reports were received from the mentioned villages, and these have been confirmed through verification. The sounds of gunfire were even heard during residents' calls for help.

The gunfire was clearly audible in the villages, with the strongest sounds reported in the pastures of Kut and Verin Shorja (mountainous areas). "The gunfire near the villages of Armenia is of a criminal nature, posing a real threat to the lives, physical security, peaceful existence, and other vital rights of Armenian citizens. It is evident that Azerbaijani gunfire and the theft of livestock from border residents cause social, including vital, damage to the population living in the border areas of Armenia. It should also be noted that there are threats directed towards Armenian civilians, shepherds, including the display of weapons, tugging, beating, insults, and so on. All these incidents have been confirmed by the evidence collected by the Human Rights Defender," Tatoyan stated.

According to him, all this occurs under conditions where Azerbaijani armed forces have illegally invaded the sovereign territory of Armenia, from Gegharkunik and Syunik, since May 12, 2021, citing false maps. These actions should be viewed as part of a unified criminal intention.

Tatoyan emphasizes that to protect the rights of the Armenian population from the criminal acts of Azerbaijani armed forces, an urgent security zone must be established. "Today's incident further demonstrates that Azerbaijani armed forces disrupt the physical and mental safety of people and the prospects for restoring peace," he concluded.