Azerbaijani Forces Prevent Residents of Tegh Village from Harvesting Wheat: Arman Tatoyan

Today, Azerbaijani soldiers stole three livestock from a minor shepherd boy near Khndzoresk village and obstructed wheat harvesting in Tegh village. This information was shared on the Facebook page of Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan.

Today, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia received two reports regarding the violation of the rights of residents in the Syunik region of Armenia, specifically from the villages of Khndzoresk and Tegh, by Azerbaijani soldiers. The reports indicate that a shepherd in Khndzoresk was grazing 40 large cattle belonging to two families in the pasture areas of Armenia on July 6, 2021, as he has always done. His 13-year-old child was assisting him.

At around 06:00-06:30 in the morning, three of the cattle approached the area where Azerbaijani armed forces were deployed. The child, who was with the animals, attempted to prevent them from approaching the Azerbaijani position. However, the Azerbaijani soldiers came forward and, yelling that it was their territory, stole the animals and drove them away.

According to the information obtained, the shepherd immediately informed the head of the enlarged community of Tegh about the theft by the Azerbaijani soldiers. After receiving the report, the community leader contacted the Armenian Armed Forces and the Russian peacekeepers, and as a result of the actions taken, the stolen cattle were returned to the shepherd.

The other incident concerns the violation of rights of residents in Tegh village. Specifically, residents attempted to harvest wheat from an area where they had sown crops the previous year using agricultural machinery. However, Azerbaijani soldiers did not allow the harvesting due to their monitoring of the area.

The Human Rights Defender's Office verified the residents' information through discussions with the enlarged community leader and the locals. There have also been reports in various media outlets regarding the first incident.

These criminal acts by Azerbaijani soldiers aim to deprive Armenian citizens of their rights to life, property, and other essential rights, including the ability to engage in livestock farming and earn income for their families.

It is essential to view these incidents within the context of ongoing intent, as Azerbaijani soldiers regularly commit similar acts (theft of animals, obstruction of hay harvesting, etc.) against residents of both Gegharkunik and Syunik regions.

Besides posing an obvious security threat to residents of border villages in Armenia, these actions exacerbate social issues among the population.

These incidents once again confirm that, in order to protect the population of Armenia from criminal acts by Azerbaijani armed forces, it is urgently necessary to establish a security zone.