The
Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan participated in a panel discussion within
the framework of the "APRI Forum 2023: Progress in conditions of
uncertainty".
Welcoming
the participants, the Defender underscored that such events provide yet another
valuable opportunity to discuss the challenges within the human rights
protection system.
The
event had a Q&A format: issues related to the rights of persons detained in
Azerbaijan as well as forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh were discussed,
details regarding the work carried out by the Human Rights Defender in this
context were presented to the participants: reference was made to the
preliminary ad hoc report published by the Defender on the aforementioned
topic.
Anahit
Manasyan made a special reference to the fact-finding activities conducted by
her and the staff of the Defender's office with people forcibly displaced from
Nagorno-Karabakh, during which they received information about the death,
torture, disrespect of bodies, mutilation and other forms of ill-treatment of
civilians as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression, as well as other cases
prohibited by international law.
"As
the Human Rights Defender, I immediately got involved in the process of
protection of the rights of forcibly displaced people. Personally me and my
staff went to Goris, Kornidzor and Vayk, and conducted fact-finding activities
on the spot. We talked with more than 350 people. During the fact-finding
activities, we pursued two goals: to conduct monitoring and to identify the
problems related to guaranteeing the rights of the mentioned persons in the
Republic of Armenia. The next important goal was to identify the victims of
torture and other forms of ill-treatment and to guarantee the implementation of
proper structures for the protection of their rights. One thing was obvious to
me: fundamental rights were violated as a result of Azerbaijani actions,"
the Defender stated.
Anahit
Manasyan especially emphasized that the collected information was included in
the ad hoc report of the Human Rights Defender.
The
report, along with the confidential section proving the authenticity of the
information, was presented first by me to the international organizations and
actors with a mandate to protect human rights. The document was presented to
the International Court of Justice as well, documenting the human rights
violations. It is crucial for international structures with a mandate to
protect human rights to have the fundamental human rights as a priority at the
core of solving issues, as no political and territorial circumstances can
prevail over the human rights values," Anahit Manasyan emphasized.
As
for the ethnic Armenians deprived of their liberty in Azerbaijan, Anahit
Manasyan noted that the interference with their fundamental rights takes place
in gross violations of international legal standards and guarantees.
Concluding
the speech, Anahit Manasyan stated that it is extremely important to show
forcibly displaced persons that they are not alone, that they are under the
attention of both the state and each of us, as well as that there are clear
mechanisms for the protection of their rights.
It
should be noted that the forum held on October 25-27, APRI Armenia's annual
meeting, brought together policymakers, scientists, civil society and business
leaders under the title "Progress in Uncertainty". During the forum,
the necessary steps to overcome the current crisis were discussed, as well as ways
to promote the stability and sustainable development of Armenia.
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