Urgent: One Civilian Wounded in Artsakh, Azerbaijan Accumulates Heavy Equipment in Khramort, Armenian Ombudsman

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Kristine Grigoryan, has been in contact with the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh and the Prosecutor General. "Throughout yesterday, there were intense gunfire directed at the villages of Khramort in the Askeran region, and at the Red Market and Khunshinak villages in the Martuni region. In the direction of Khramort, the gunfire was accompanied by criminal actions aimed at psychologically pressuring the population, making announcements in Armenian via loudspeakers warning residents to leave the village," stated the Ombudsman.

According to Grigoryan, this criminal encroachment against the peaceful population escalated overnight in the direction of Khramort, where Azerbaijani armed forces also used mortars. "One civilian has been wounded. The adversary has also demonstratively accumulated heavy equipment (tanks) in the direction of the village. For the safety of the population, women and children were evacuated to a safer place overnight, but according to information from my colleagues, residents returned to the village in the morning.

This is a continuation of the criminal policy of Azerbaijan's military-political leadership aimed at violating the lives and security of the people living in their homeland, terrorizing them, and keeping them in a state of constant alarm. It is also evident that the ultimate goal of such actions is to depopulate the areas and empty them of their indigenous people, which is a manifestation of Azerbaijan's ongoing policies of xenophobia and ethnic hatred. On the other hand, this irresponsible behavior by the Azerbaijani state is aimed at damaging the credibility of the Russian peacekeeping mission and undermining the tremendous efforts being made to ensure peace," announced the Armenian Human Rights Defender.

She noted that information on this matter will be sent today to relevant international organizations and embassies.