Boundary delineation in the presence of Azerbaijanis will lead to new human rights violations: Tatoyan

Boundary delineation in the presence of Azerbaijani armed forces will lead to new human rights violations. I have presented specific evidence of Azerbaijani violations to the European Union's special representative. This was stated by Armenia's Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on his Facebook page.

“Today, I received a delegation led by Toivo Klaar, the European Union's special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis. The head of the EU delegation in Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Victorin, also participated in the meeting. I presented the facts of human rights violations of residents living along the Armenian border due to Azerbaijani authorities during the post-war phase.

I noted that addressing issues related to the state border of Armenia solely from a geopolitical perspective is incorrect, as it sidelines human rights and restricts the opportunities to protect those rights.

As the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, I emphasized that as a result of Azerbaijani illegal actions, people have been deprived of their homes, land, and pastures that belonged to them since Soviet times, leading to not only social but also serious security issues.

The illegal presence of Azerbaijani soldiers in Armenia's sovereign territory, for example, at Lake Sevan, has created severe security concerns for the surrounding communities, putting them in the line of fire as Azerbaijani military personnel are also firing shots.

Additionally, some people have been unable to engage in livestock breeding, which is a source of income for their families, while in the Gegharkunik region, large and small livestock cannot be kept in the barns near pastures, they cannot provide drinking water or graze in separate areas. The accessibility of water resources is endangered not only in Syunik but also in Gegharkunik. Moreover, several villages have been deprived of water.

I presented incidents that occurred during one of my recent visits to Syunik, where I personally witnessed that the presence of Azerbaijani service members on the roads between the communities of Syunik violates people's right to life and free movement.

Specifically, while returning from Syunik to Yerevan, we briefly stopped for 1-2 minutes on the interstate M2 road in areas where Azerbaijani armed personnel are stationed. We tried to understand what could happen if, for some objective reason, such as a vehicle malfunction or a passenger feeling unwell, a civilian vehicle stopped in that area. Upon stopping, an Azerbaijani armed serviceman noticed the civilian vehicles, immediately entered a building (shed), and emerged with a submachine gun directed at us.

I emphasized that delimiting the border with Azerbaijan alone, without creating a security zone, without removing Azerbaijani armed personnel, their signs, and cameras, will not only fail to ensure the rights of Armenian citizens, especially those living along the border, but will also become a reason for new violations of rights and increased tensions.

During the meeting, I highly appreciated the cooperation with the EU delegation in Armenia and personally recognized Ambassador Andrea Victorin's crucial role in the protection and promotion of human rights in Armenia,” wrote Arman Tatoyan.