Armed Azerbaijani Forces Target Vehicle Containing 3-Year-Old Child, MP Reports

The Human Rights Defender, Arman Tatoyan, stated on his Facebook page:

“Azerbaijani armed forces pointed firearms at a vehicle of a civilian from Armenia on the Stepanakert-Shushi road, throwing stones at it while a woman and a 3-year-old child were inside.”

On January 2, 2022, between 14:00-15:00, a resident of Lori Province, returning from Artsakh with his wife and their 3-year-old child in their Nissan Teana, encountered aggressive Azerbaijani armed forces along the Stepanakert-Shushi stretch. These forces shouted as they aimed their weapons at the vehicle and subsequently struck it with a large stone.

The impact of the stone damaged the front bumper, the radiator, and caused the loss of the vehicle's registration plate. The actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces resulted in damages exceeding 200,000 AMD.

The incident was reported to the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia by the vehicle’s driver. The citizen has also informed the relevant authorities in both Artsakh and Armenia. Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, has officially corroborated this incident to Arman Tatoyan.

It is evident that Azerbaijani armed forces clearly recognized that they were threatening and attacking the vehicle of a peaceful civilian, which included a woman and a young child, yet they willfully continued with their criminal acts. These actions were directed against the rights to life and health of Armenian citizens, as well as their property rights, disrupting the safe movement of peaceful residents.

This incident further proves that Azerbaijani forces should not be present near the villages and roads of Armenia or Artsakh. Violations conducted by them in Armenia and Artsakh are fundamentally the same. Their presence constitutes a blatant infringement of the right to life and security of civilians, along with other vital rights. This is clearly evidenced by this incident, which involved a child in the vehicle.

The removal of Azerbaijani armed forces is essential for restoring the violated rights of individuals and resuming normal living conditions. Such incidents are occurring repeatedly.

This conclusion by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia is also substantiated by Azerbaijani gunfire registered yesterday, directed towards the communities of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard in Martuni region, as well as the Nakhijevanik community in Askeran region, which harmed civilian residents; one of the shots was aimed at a house located just 50 meters away from a kindergarten. These facts were officially confirmed by reports from Artsakh yesterday.

These facts will be presented to international organizations regarding the urgent necessity to address Azerbaijani criminal acts and their removal.