Baku, Azerbaijan, July 5
By Ilhama Isabalayeva – Trend:
Ombudsperson of Azerbaijan Elmira Suleymanova prepared a statement, to be sent to a number of international organizations in connection with the recent Armenian provocation against Azerbaijan, Aydin Safikhanli, head of Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman Office, told Trend July 5.
The statement will be sent to the UN Secretary General, UN Security Council and High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the international and European ombudsman institutes, the Asian Ombudsman Association, the International Peace Bureau, as well as to ombudsmen of various countries.
Safikhanli reminded that on July 4, Armenian armed forces shelled Azerbaijani settlements in the Alkhanli village of the country’s Fuzuli district, killing residents of the village Sakhiba Guliyeva, 50, Zakhra Guliyeva, 2, and injuring Servinaz Guliyeva, 52.
He said that this military crime, committed by Armenians, flagrantly violated provisions of international human rights documents, including the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, on protection of civilians during war.
“The recent developments in the Alkhanli village of the Fizuli district confirmed that Armenia continues to pursue an aggressive policy and kill civilians, and does not recognize the norms of international law. We believe that the international community should not remain indifferent to this cruelty, ruthlessness and inhumane acts,” Safikhanli noted.
He expressed confidence that under the UN Charter, Armenia will be punished and the violated rights and freedoms of Azerbaijani citizens will be restored.
On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces again violated ceasefire and, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled Azerbaijani positions and territories where the civilian population lives, namely the Alkhanli village of the country’s Fuzuli district.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.