Today
the Azerbaijani servicemen stole 3 heads of cattle from the minor child of the
shepherd of Khnatsakh village, while in Tegh village they obstructed the
harvest of wheat
Today,
two alarming-calls were addressed to the Human Rights Defender regarding the
violation of the rights of the residents of Khnatsakh and Tegh villages of the
Syunik province of Armenia by the Azerbaijani servicemen. Based on the
alarming-calls, it became apparent that:
On
June 6, 2021 the shepherd of Khnatsakh village, grazed the 40 heads of large cattle
belonging to the 2 families of the village in the pasture located in the
territory of Armenia (something that he does on a regular basis). The shepherd
was also assisted by their 13-year-old child.
Around
6:00-6:30 in the morning, 3 heads of the large cattle approached the positions
the Azerbaijani armed forces. Located near the cattle, the child of the
shepherd attempted to prevent the 3 heads of cattle from approaching the
Azerbaijani positions. However, the Azerbaijani servicemen themselves
approached the animals, and shouting that was part of their territory, stole the
animals are drove them away deeper to their side.
According
to the revealed information, the shepherd immediately informed the Head of the
enlarged Community of Tegh about the theft of the Azerbaijani servicemen. Upon
receiving the alarming-call, the latter immediately contacted the First Army
Corps of the Armenian Armed Forces and the Russian Peacekeepers; it was only
possible to return the animals to the shepherd after relevant steps were taken.
The
other incident is related to the violation of the rights of the residents of
Tegh village. In particular, today the residents of the village went to the
area in the vicinity of the village with agricultural machinery to harvest the
wheat they had sown the previous year. However, the Azerbaijani servicemen,
keeping the area under their surveillance, did not allow the harvest of the
wheat
The
information provided by the residents of the villages was studied by the Office
of the Human Rights Defender during the discussions held with the Head and the
residents of the enlarged Community of Tegh. The first incident was also
reported in a number of media outlets.
These
criminal acts of the Azerbaijani servicemen are aimed at depriving the citizens
of Armenia of their rights to life, property, and other vital rights, and their
opportunities to raise livestock and to earn a family income.
All
of this needs to be considered in an ongoing context, as the Azerbaijani
servicemen regularly carry out similar acts (stealing animals, obstructing harvests,
etc.) against the residents of the villages of both the Gegharkunik and Syunik
provinces.
In
addition to being an obvious security issue for the residents of the border
villages of Armenia, these actions contribute to the deepening of the social
problems of the residents.
These
incidents prove once again that in order to protect the population of Armenia
from the criminal acts of the Azerbaijani armed forces, it is necessary to
create a security zone as a matter of urgency.
Mr.
Arman Tatoyan
The
Human Rights Defender of Armenia
Հայերեն
