DM Monitoring
BAKU: Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, sent a letter to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović.
“As you know the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been ended by the trilateral agreement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on November 10, 2020,” the letter said. “Due to this conflict, which lasted for almost 30 years, 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan has been under the occupation of Armenia and more than one million Azerbaijanis have been forcibly displaced facing great humanitarian tragedies.”
“Since its establishment, the Ombudsman Institution of Azerbaijan has, many times, informed your Office about the gross violations of human rights of those people who could not return to their native lands and had to live as IDPs in different regions of Azerbaijan,” the letter said.
“The UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 adopted in 1993 clearly indicated and condemned the occupation of the Azerbaijani lands and expressed grave concern at the displacement of large numbers of civilians in Azerbaijan,” the letter said.
“These documents called for immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all occupying forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and requested the relevant international agencies to assist displaced persons to return to their homes in security and dignity,” the letter said. “Nevertheless, we did not witness any attempt by your side to call on Armenian authorities to implement the mentioned resolutions and help the IDPs to return to their homes.”
“Even the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment on “Chiragov and others v. Armenia” recalled Armenia’s obligations towards the Azerbaijanis who had to flee during the conflict,” the letter said. “The Court stresses that Armenian and Armenian-backed troops in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan prevent the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to their lands.”
“We have many times brought to your attention the situation of the hostages, Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev who had been in captivity of Armenia for six years,” the letter said. “They were illegally taken hostage by the armed forces of Armenia while visiting their homelands and subjected to torture and ill-treatment. We issued statements and a report in this regard and sent it to all relevant international human rights organizations, including your Office.
