Azerbaijani Military Bases Threaten Peaceful Residents, Need Immediate Removal: Artsakh Defender

The Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, GeghamStepanyan, made a Facebook post addressing an incident that occurred today in Martakert, where a peaceful resident was killed by gunfire from Azerbaijani armed forces while performing agricultural work.

The post states: “On October 9, while conducting agricultural work in a pomegranate field near the city of Martakert, 1966-born resident Aram Teptants was killed on the spot due to a direct targeted strike from an Azerbaijani sniper, receiving a fatal injury to the chest.”

The deliberate killing of a civilian in Artsakh by Azerbaijan is a result of the lack of accountability for violations and provocations committed by Azerbaijan since the establishment of the ceasefire on November 9, as well as the encroachments on the life, health, physical, and mental integrity of the Artsakh people.

During this time, we have repeatedly emphasized the need for effective mechanisms to hold those responsible for incidents accountable, considering that this is the only real opportunity and effective means to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. It is clear that the cases initiated by the law enforcement agencies of Artsakh regarding these incidents aim to document the criminal acts of Azerbaijanis and to provide a judicial assessment, but they cannot yield satisfactory results if Azerbaijan does not respect the obligation to uphold the 'right to life.'

The incident registered today further proves that the Azerbaijani military bases located near the peaceful settlements of Artsakh are an undeniable threat to the lives and normal functioning of the civilian population. Therefore, their immediate removal is the only way to ensure real security for peaceful civilian settlements.”