The criminal attack of dragging and beating the Aravus village
shepard by Azerbaijani military servicemen confirms urgent need for a security
zone around Syunik.
Immediately after this information, the Human Rights Defender of
Armenia has immediately initiated fact-finding activities with the involvement
of the Syunik subdivision of the Defender's Staff.
The shepard of Aravus village submitted alarming complaints to
the Staff of the Human Rights Defender that he grazed 14 large and small cattle
on a pasture about 500 meters from his house on 18 April 2021. Between 5 and 6
pm, when the pastor was in the area about 50 meters from the Azerbaijani
position to the Aravus village, three Azerbaijani armed servicemen approached
him.
According to the pastor, the Azerbaijani military servicemen
first threatened him with their weapons, and then two of them pulled him and
tried to take him to move to the trench in the direction of the Azerbaijani
position by force. During all this time, Azerbaijani constantly cursed and
threatened the pastor.
Then, when they saw that Armenian Armed Forces servicemen began
to rush to help the, the third Azerbaijani serviceman hit the shepard in the
eye, causing a bruise and immediately left for their position.
During the Human Rights Defender’s Office fact-finding
activities, it was also established that the Azerbaijani military had shouted
insults at the shepard in the same place of the Aravus village, and at around 7
pm he received threats from Azerbaijani soldiers who were openly displaying
firearms on 20 April 2021.
The staff of the Human Rights Defender also recorded the
alarming interview of the head of Aravus village about the incident in mass
media.
The shepard's family members, as well as the villagers who rushed
to help the shepard, informed the Human Rights Defender’s Office that they had
also heard Azerbaijani soldiers’ shouts, including that the Azeris had moved
from their position to the shepherd.
The head of the Aravus village informed the Human Rights Defender's
Office that there are houses in the villagers even less than 500 meters away
from the Azerbaijani positions (for example, 100 or 200 meters). This fact was
also recorded by the Human Rights Defender's Office monitoring conducted at the
site.
The RA Human Rights Defender specifically states that the
Azerbaijani servicemen committed a criminal attack on the Armenian border
resident. This confirms gross violations of the internationally recognized
rights of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, as well as rights enshrined
in the Constitution of Armenia.
These are rights to physical and psychological immunity; right
to roperty and other vital rights, and in the case of the right to life, it is
under the real risk of violation.
These incidents clearly substantiates the Human Rights
Defender's proposal on that a security zone must be immediately created around
the Syunik province in order to guarantee rights of the RA citizens.
There should be no Azerbaijani soldiers, signs or flags in the
immediate vicinity of the Syunik villages and on the roads connecting the
communities of the province.
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender will send the information about
these incidents to relevant international organizations, as well as will
include it in the security zone concept.
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