The Ombudsman Does Not Make Statements That Are Exaggerated or Unverified: Tatoyan to the Ministry of Defense and Others

The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia clarified on October 19, denying the statement made by the Human Rights Defender on October 18, regarding the illegal intrusion of Azerbaijani armed forces into the Gegharkunik region and their ongoing fortification activities, including road construction, near Armenian villages, as well as the accumulation of significant amounts of firewood, etc.

This was followed by a campaign aimed at discrediting the activities of the Human Rights Defender, which was also joined by the Secretary of the National Security Council.

The Human Rights Defender's statement on October 18 was based on the gross violations of the rights to life, security, and peaceful existence of the civilian population in Armenia due to the actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces (the civilian population is being shelled, people cannot access their land, etc.). Numerous alerts and complaints continue to be directed to the Defender.

Both this and any other statement made by the Human Rights Defender is based on reliable data from fact-finding efforts. The purpose of the October 18 statement was to show the illegal actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces and the direct link of these actions to violations of the rights to life, property, and other vital rights of Armenian civilians. The issue is that such actions are followed by further criminal acts, including terrorist actions against the civilian population and service members, who are precisely mandated to protect the rights to life, security, peaceful living, and other vital rights of this population.

Moreover, the facts underlying the mentioned statement were gathered by the Human Rights Defender's office through continuous monitoring and investigations conducted in recent months.

Therefore, officials from the administrative apparatus of the Ministry of Defense who decided to issue a statement questioning the outcomes of the Human Rights Defender’s fact-finding work regarding the illegal actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces must always remember that the Defender never makes statements that are exaggerated or contain inaccuracies.

In general, if the Human Rights Defender makes any public statement, then there are reliable pieces of evidence behind it, not just one, but at least several.

Thus, we demand that these officials refrain from making such unwise statements in response to the Human Rights Defender’s announcements.

Furthermore, instead of denying the precise statement of the Human Rights Defender on October 18 in order to alleviate political discontent, the officials mentioned from the Ministry of Defense should realize that they are not only refuting an accurate statement directed toward human rights protection but also generating an Azerbaijani campaign against both this statement and the credibility of the Defender’s work on international platforms.

Indeed, the denial issued by the Armenian Ministry of Defense on October 19 has been used by Azerbaijani local and foreign sources to declare that the Ministry officially attests that the reports or claims made by the Human Rights Defender regarding the rights of border inhabitants are false and has demanded from various forums that the Defender's reports and statements be no longer accepted as a basis.

It turns out that the Human Rights Defender is compelled to publicly clarify to the officials of the Ministry of Defense's administrative apparatus that his reports and statements are prepared and published based on special principles, taking into account the possibilities of human rights protection in international forums, that every word of the Human Rights Defender holds value, and that they are aimed precisely at protecting the rights of service members and supporting the Armed Forces and the country.

Hence, it should be noted that the Defender’s reports and statements are made even if they may trigger political discontent; instead, they become a valuable source for the protection of the rights of Armenian citizens utilized in international forums, such as the International Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights.

The Defender’s reports and statements are always based on primary sources, not on mediated and distorted data. They are valuable in that they are results of independent work.

In conclusion, during the entire period since the war, the Ministry of Defense could have somehow supported the Human Rights Defender’s proposal for the creation of a security zone around the borders with Azerbaijan, which is gaining more traction on international platforms. After all, this is for the protection of the rights and lives of Armenian civilians and service members from the criminal actions of Azerbaijan.

The Human Rights Defender has always supported the Armed Forces with both his public and non-public activities and will continue to operate on the same principles. At no time has the role of the Armed Forces, one of the highest values of our statehood, been allowed to be overshadowed, positively conveying it also in various forums.

Throughout his work, a principle of cooperative work has been ensured without causing harm, and the same is expected in return.

Moreover, the Human Rights Defender's statement on October 18 referred exclusively to the criminal actions of Azerbaijan and did not make any reference to the servicemen who selflessly serve in the positions of the Republic of Armenia.

To the newly appointed governor of Gegharkunik, we also propose to study well, for informational purposes, the principles of the activities of the Human Rights Defender, the results of his work, and the existing situation in the field so that next time he does not attempt to question the Defender's statements or reports based on unreliable data.

We hope that at least to a minimal degree, the high quality of cooperation established during the previous governor's term, which ensured positive outcomes in human rights protection, will be maintained.

With this statement, I publish merely a few reliable pieces of evidence in the form of a short video, confirming the unlawful intrusions of Azerbaijani forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia in the Gegharkunik region, as well as their fortification activities near the villages in the Gegharkunik region.

Arman Tatoyan
Human Rights Defender of Armenia