Azerbaijani Actions Are Becoming Increasingly Intense: Tatoyan

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, presented the social issues arising from the presence of Azerbaijani military personnel in border communities during discussions in the parliament.

Tatoyan emphasized that the right to life of border residents is being violated. “This pertains to periodic gunfire from the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, which has become targeted, even shooting towards homes. The presence of Azerbaijani soldiers constitutes a violation of the right to life, and our country has the full right to demand the cessation of violations of this right,” said Tatoyan.

He pointed out that attacks by Azerbaijani soldiers on civilians, especially shepherds, are also a serious issue. “People are cultivating their land, and Azerbaijani military forces unlawfully descend from their positions, enter our territory, and tell people that this is their area, simply preventing them from harvesting their crops,” stated the Defender.

According to Tatoyan, there are numerous instances of violations of property rights. “Many lands belonging to private owners, community-owned areas, and leased lands are directly under Azerbaijani control. In many cases, they are physically present in those areas. This is not only about the incursions of May 12 and 13; it has been so even before,” he added. “They are physically present in areas provided to people through cadastral documents.”

The Human Rights Defender also highlighted that the presence of Azerbaijani military personnel along roads and near villages has restricted the movement of residents. When people attempt to come closer, the Azerbaijanis start firing shots. According to Tatoyan, there are villages in Armenia where there is no drinking and irrigation water because many water basins are under Azerbaijani control.

At the same time, the Defender pointed out that Azerbaijani actions are becoming increasingly intense: “Even if they do not do anything for a week, these issues will not be resolved. Even if they do not shoot for a month, their presence still constitutes a gross violation of the right to life,” he stated, adding that the root cause of all this is impunity: “They clearly see that no matter what they do, they are not punished; rather, their authorities only encourage them. One thing is clear: they will not pause unless we establish robust guarantees for our own defense,” concluded the Defender.