Azerbaijani Armed Forces Invade Gegharkunik Region, Build Large Shelters and Increase Activity, Says Tatoyan

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, stated on his Facebook page that "the Azerbaijani armed forces that invaded the Gegharkunik region of Armenia have built large shelters, accumulated a significant amount of firewood, and concreted the roads leading to their positions. Their activity has notably increased in recent times.

Moreover, they continue the construction of new roads, have increased the number of soldiers and weapons at their positions, and are continuously performing fortification and engineering operations. This concerns the illegal deployment and criminal actions of Azerbaijan on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

They are physically present on the lands belonging to the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, with legally confirmed rights. These data have been corroborated with reliable evidence and verified from multiple sources by the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, including the regional division in Gegharkunik.

These are the Azerbaijani positions from where Azerbaijani soldiers are committing terrorist criminal acts against the civilian population of Armenia, periodically firing at the villages of Verin Shorzha, Sotk, Kut, and others, especially targeting civilian houses, and massively setting fire to the pastures and hayfields of local residents.

It is from these positions that numerous livestock thefts of Armenian residents have occurred. The presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces near the villages of Armenia, and within the sovereign territory of the Republic, is manifestly criminal in nature; it undermines the livelihood and security of the villagers, as well as their vital rights to property, earning a living, and family income.

Their presence disrupts the peaceful life of people. Therefore, the process of creating a demilitarized security zone around the borders of Armenia must be urgently initiated, and Azerbaijani armed personnel must be removed immediately from the vicinity of Armenian villages and community roads.

This proposal of the Human Rights Defender has been included in a specific international document—the Resolution No. 2391 (2021) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) dated September 27, 2021. The Human Rights Defender will also send relevant reports to international organizations, state bodies of Armenia, and civil society organizations.

It is clear that the basis for the Azerbaijani criminal acts and gross violations of human rights is singular: the hatred and animosity fueled by the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as their policies of ethnic cleansing and genocide.