Baku urges int'l probe into Armenia-committed rights violations
By Ayya Lmahamad
Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva has called on international organizations to investigate facts of human rights violations committed as a result of Armenia's aggressive and occupant policy against Azerbaijan.
Sabina Aliyeva made the remarks in a statement made on the occasion of the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War on September 27.
“I call on international organizations to investigate the facts of human rights violations committed as a result of the aggressive and occupant policy, including war crimes in severe violation of the right to a life committed by the Armenian military and political leadership that is non-compliant with UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, UN General Assembly Resolutions 'Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan' adopted in 2006 and 2008, that ignores the appeals of the UN, the World Health Organization and other influential international organizations on the current pandemic,” she stated.
The ombudsman further called on Armenia to respect Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territorial integrity, to refrain from provocative actions aimed at threatening the life and health of the civilians, as well as at gross violations of fundamental human rights.
“I further call on international and regional organizations, foreign ombudspersons, and National Human Rights Institutions to respond to the human rights violations committed by Armenia in the region, to make joint efforts for peace and global solidarity,” Aliyeva added.
Speaking about the 44-day war, the ombudsman recalled that Armenia was intensively shelling with the prohibited weapons, long-range missiles and heavy artillery Azerbaijani cities and regions located both on the former frontline and far away from it.
She underlined that Armenia was using prohibited weapons, including Scud and Iskender-M ballistic missiles, as well as white phosphorous and cluster munitions.
Aliyeva stressed that as a result of Armenian war crimes more than 100 peaceful civilians, including 11 children were killed and over 450 were wounded. In addition, 12,000 civilian objects, including 3,410 houses, 120 multifloored apartments and numerous schools, hospitals and kindergartens were destroyed or seriously damaged.
Ombudsman emphasized that not distinguishing between military and civilian objects, intense attacks of heavily populated cities and regions, as well as a power station, pipeline and other objects once again proved Armenia's noncompliance with international law.
Speaking about the ecocide committed by Armenia on previously occupied Azerbaijani territories, Aliyeva underlined that as a result of deliberate mass fires and environmental terror acts using banned chemical weapons, the Karabakh region's environment was seriously damaged.
“The environment of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, including clean water sources, were subjected to physical and chemical pollutions, various rare plant and animal species have been extinct, the cessation of the process of self-regulation in rivers and lakes has led to the transformation of water bodies into a dead zone, harmful to all living organisms, and the ecocide has been committed,” the statement read.
The ombudsman also noted that the Armenian military-political leadership expelled more than a million civilians from their homes and violated all their fundamental rights, destroyed villages and towns, as well as cultural heritage.
She underlined that various types of mines and other explosive devices planted in these areas led to the death and wounding of more than 140 persons since the signing of the tripartite statement.
Aliyeva stated that the refusal to fully disclose maps of landmines planted in these territories and attempts to bury new mines through subversive groups shows Armenia’s interest in creating new hotbeds of conflict in the region.
“As the Human Rights Commissioner of Azerbaijan, I reiterate my concern about mined areas in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, which endanger human lives, health, and security of people,” she added.
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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad
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