Azerbaijani Soldiers Threaten to Kill International News Agency Journalist Near Verin Shorja Village: Ombudsman

Today, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia received a signal from an international news agency journalist stating that Azerbaijani armed forces threatened to kill him with firearms, including a sniper rifle, near the village of Verin Shorja in the Gegharkunik province, in an area adjacent to the State border of Armenia.

This was reported on the Facebook page of the Armenian Human Rights Defender, Arman Tatoyan. According to him, the incident took place on June 15, 2021, when the international journalist, along with another reporter, was working on coverage and other journalistic activities two kilometers away from the state border of Armenia, specifically in the vicinity where the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces are positioned 600 meters apart.

The journalist was located approximately 100 meters from the Azerbaijani positions at the time of the incident. While conducting his professional activities, he noticed aggressive behavior from Azerbaijani soldiers, heard shouting, and then observed them loading their weapons and aiming in his direction, threatening to shoot.

Before he could react, he noticed that another Azerbaijani service member began displaying more aggressive and erratic behavior, pointing a sniper rifle at him and threatening to kill him with a direct shot. In order to avoid unpredictable consequences, the international journalist halted his work.

The journalist indicated that they had visible identification for the Azerbaijani armed forces, asserting that they were representatives of the press and adhered to all journalistic guidelines. Furthermore, the Human Rights Defender confirmed that this journalist has extensive experience working in conflict and post-conflict zones.

It is evident that Azerbaijani soldiers understood they were threatening a journalist engaged in professional work. The actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces appeared to deliberately obstruct the journalist's work and prevent the dissemination of evidence confirming illegal Azerbaijani intrusion into Armenia's sovereign territory.

The journalist has contacted the international organization 'Reporters Without Borders', which has already issued a statement regarding this incident. The Human Rights Defender has repeatedly noted that the evident illegal presence of Azerbaijani forces near the villages of Gegharkunik and Syunik provinces, on roads between communities in Syunik, and since May 12, also within Armenia’s sovereign territory, constitutes blatant criminal acts that grossly violate the rights of the residents of border villages, severely endangering their lives and health, and wholly disrupting normal life.

To protect people from the illegal actions of Azerbaijani armed forces, a security zone must be established along all border sections with Azerbaijan. Regarding this specific incident and due to the necessity for the personal protection of the international journalist, the Human Rights Defender will not release any information about him, but the data will be presented in cooperation with the alerted journalist to the relevant international bodies.