Call to Remove Phone Numbers, Addresses, and Other Personal Data from Social Media Pages: Ombudsman to Artsakh Residents

To prevent the dissemination of new actions causing panic by the Azerbaijani authorities, I call upon our compatriots in Artsakh to remove or close their phone numbers, addresses, and other personal information from social media pages. I urge them not to respond to any suspicious calls received via social networks, wrote the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, on their Facebook page.

The Azerbaijani authorities have begun organized new actions aimed at terrorizing and creating panic among the peaceful population of Artsakh. This conclusion is based on statements from the Artsakh Human Rights Defender, recent announcements from Artsakh law enforcement agencies, as well as studies and alerts from the Armenian Human Rights Defender.

In particular, organized calls are being made from Azerbaijani phone numbers to the phones of residents living in Artsakh, offering to buy their apartments and shops. They also obtain personal data from people’s social media pages. Moreover, some pages on the Facebook social network have become active, which also aim to exert psychological pressure on the people living in Artsakh.

The Armenian Human Rights Defender draws the attention of the international community to this new dangerous policy of the Azerbaijani authorities. It is evident to the Armenian Human Rights Defender that this is part of an ethnic cleansing policy against the Armenians living in Artsakh. It is a manifestation of the genocidal policy of the Azerbaijani authorities towards the population of Artsakh.

This information, along with the statement from Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, will also be sent to international bodies. The Armenian Human Rights Defender is in daily contact with their counterpart in Artsakh, conducting a detailed review of all data and alerts in collaboration.