On
June 16, 2021 (today), at around 5:30am, 9 Azerbaijani servicemen stole a cow
and newborn calf belonging to a shepherd of Verin Shorja pasture.
In
particular, based on the alarming-calls received today, the Human Rights
Defender's Office learned that a shepherd of a pasture in Verin Shorja village
of the Vardenis community, Gegharkunik province, woke up to Azerbaijani gunfire
at around 5:30am this morning.
As
soon as he woke up, he found the Azerbaijani soldiers shooting at his cattle,
which were in the open at the time, in the immediate vicinity of his place of
residence.
He
quickly went to the animals and found that there the cow or newborn calf were
missing. Shortly afterwards, he noticed that 9 armed Azerbaijani servicemen
were driving the cow and calf to their positions. Together with the other
shepherds, they tried to bring back the animals, which at that moment started
running towards the shepherds.
However,
the Azerbaijani soldiers started firing at the animals, injuring the cow’s leg,
preventing it from reaching the shepherds. Shots were also fired at the
shepherds.
Then,
the shepherds observed how four hours after the theft, at around 9:30am, the
Azerbaijani soldiers slaughtered the cow in their positions.
The
Human Rights Defender of Armenia specifically states that this theft took place
in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, and the Azerbaijani
servicemen came down from positions that are illegally located in the sovereign
territory of Armenia.
The
shepherds confirmed to the Human Rights Defender’s Office all the other
circumstances mentioned in the incident, and the cases were verified.
These
pastures are seasonaly, in the summer and autumn months a few dozen residents
live in the pastures, where they graze their small and large cattle (these
places are commonly called mountain pastures). People also live here with their
families, and their right to graze animals on pastures is enshrined in legal
documents and contracts with the community.
In
other words, the Azerbaijani servicemen are committing blatant criminal acts
with the intent to deprive the citizens of Armenia of their right to life and
other vital rights, to raise livestock and the opportunity to earn a family
income. Moreover, they did not return the animals recently stolen from the
citizens of Armenia (Kut of Gegharkunik province, Verin Shorja, Aravus of
Syunik province, Khnatsakh villages, etc.).
This criminal
case once again confirms that the protection of the rights of the population of
Armenia from the criminal acts of the Azerbaijani armed forces requires the
existence of a security zone with absolute urgency.
Mr.
Arman Tatoyan
Human
Rights Defender of Armenia
Հայերեն
