Tatoyan on the Encirclement of Nerkhin Hand by Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani military personnel being present both near our settlements and on the roads has made life impossible for the people. This was stated by the former Human Rights Defender of Armenia and head of the Tatoyan Foundation, Arman Tatoyan, in an interview with NEWS.am.

“Azerbaijani armed forces have unlawful positions right next to our communities and on the roads connecting these communities. These illegal and criminal deployments come in two forms: those located inside the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, which includes occupied areas where there is also ongoing fortification work, and segments that are not located within the sovereign territory of Armenia but are adjacent to settlements. Because of the threats and control from Azerbaijani military personnel, people are not allowed to utilize their own parcels of land or lead a normal life, and so on. Their presence endangers the health and lives of the people, who are unable to make use of their land and earn an income for their families. In some cases, the threat is so severe due to the presence of Azerbaijani military personnel that people are faced with existential questions: stay or live in suffering,” Tatoyan emphasized.

Tatoyan recounted that in Nerkhin Hand, people drink from the river because the Azerbaijani side has also occupied the water sources: “They not only use it for cooking and such but also drink that water. People are unable to cultivate their gardens. They have no rest, as Azerbaijani positions are visible to the naked eye. The school in Nerkhin Hand is right in front of Azerbaijani positions. Imagine the state of our children's rights; they are attending classes, while armed Azerbaijani forces can easily observe what's happening in the school from outside,” he noted.

He stated that Nerkhin Hand is surrounded by more than 20 Azerbaijani positions on three sides: “Can you imagine the situation of the people when the picture is like this? 2,700 hectares from Nerkhin Hand alone is under Azerbaijani occupation. In Nerkhin Hand, a parent cannot take their child to school; in that case, can you imagine peace? People in Nerkhin Hand cannot go to church or cemeteries. People regularly hear the sounds of explosions from mines. They have turned people's entire lives into a state of impossibility. Under such conditions, where there is such a level of illegal Azerbaijani presence and gross violations of people's rights, who can even talk about Azerbaijan's peaceful intentions?”

Tatoyan further explained that the entire discourse surrounding provocations in the direction of Nerkhin Hand has been framed in a tone of seeking blame, indicating that an incident has occurred, the Armenian side will investigate the incident, and there will also be legal consequences for Armenian servicemen. “This means that Azerbaijani military personnel have turned people's lives into a state of impossibility daily, showing criminal behavior every day while being inside our territory. This also means that our servicemen have absolute legitimacy in their defense. That is why they try to label such operations as ‘retribution,’ forgetting that they commit such crimes against our people every minute,” he concluded.