Azerbaijan Offers Either Forced Submission or Expulsion from Their Homeland Using Clear Force and Threats, Says Artsakh Ombudsman

The criminal and terrorist policies of Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh have intensified amid undeniable facts and manifestations of the application of force and threats by Azerbaijan during the last days of a siege lasting almost 200 days. They target individuals and equipment performing agricultural work, as well as the subdivisions of the Artsakh Defense Army, which are solely responsible for the protection of the civilian population. This was stated by the Ombudsman of Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan, on his Facebook page.

“In order to advance their criminal policies, the Azerbaijani side regularly disseminates false information about alleged violations of the ceasefire regime by the Artsakh Defense Army. This is undeniably proven by the recent statement of Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, who said two days ago, ‘If they resort to any provocations and illegal actions, the issue of those illegal armed formations can be resolved by just one corps of the Azerbaijani army, and even that not in full strength.’”

Thus, by regularly accusing the Armenian side of violating the ceasefire, the Azerbaijani military-political leadership attempts to justify its own violations of the ceasefire regime, mislead international actors, and insist on the illegal and unfounded demand for the demilitarization of Artsakh's armed forces.

As a result of the latest provocation by the Azerbaijani armed forces towards the Martuni and Martakert regions of Artsakh on June 28, 2023, four individuals were killed: Armo Abgaryan (born in 1969, from the village of Gishi, Martuni region), Gagik Balayan (born in 1987, from the village of Gishi, Martuni region), Samvel Torosyan (born in 2003, from Stepanakert, Artsakh), and Yervand Tadevosyan (born in 2003, from Kashatagh region, Artsakh). There are no injured soldiers reported. All four individuals were killed in locations where the defense army's subdivisions are permanently stationed, due to remote artillery and UAV strikes by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

These four casualties, as a result of today’s Azerbaijani military aggression, are not only individuals defending their homeland and the peaceful population from Azerbaijan’s continuous military aggression, but also men with families and everyday lives. Two of them, 54-year-old Armo Abgaryan and 36-year-old Gagik Balayan, were volunteers from the Gishi community in Artsakh, whose main activity was agriculture. Armo had four children, two of whom were minors, while Gagik had four minor children. The Azerbaijani criminal regime is responsible for all the inhumane suffering and deprivations of the people of Artsakh, who are still struggling with the disastrous consequences of the 2020 war.

It is significant that even the presence of Russian peacekeeping forces in Artsakh and the attention of various international actors to the situation in Artsakh do not deter Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior, which continues to operate with a complete sense of impunity. While speaking of peace, Azerbaijan misleads the international community by simultaneously offering either forced submission or expulsion from their homeland under the open application of force and threats. As long as Azerbaijan is not held accountable by all international actors for its criminal actions and the crimes against the lives and fundamental rights of the people of Artsakh, the peace process will be used as a disguise for the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Artsakh,” the statement concludes.