The Ombudsman of Azerbaijan once again appealed to international organizations regarding the war and environmental crimes of Armenia.

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Sabina Aliyeva

International News Desk

According to Ug News Media Europe,Azerbaijan’s Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva once again appealed to international human rights organizations regarding the war and environmental crimes committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.”Ug News Media Europe ” informs that the application states:
“In addition to making groundless territorial claims against Azerbaijan for many years, Armenia has carried out a policy of occupation, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and terrorism in the context of acute national, racial and religious hatred. As a bitter result of this, more than 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territories have been occupied for nearly 30 years. occupied by Armenia for a period of time, about one million of our compatriots were forcibly expelled from their native homelands and became refugees and internally displaced persons. In addition to military personnel, numerous civilians were mercilessly killed or suffered various serious injuries that caused disability, as well as captured and missing, hostages.During the first Karabakh war, 3,171 people were soldiers, 719 were civilians, and a total of 3,890 citizens of Azerbaijan went missing. 71 of them were minors, 267 were women, and 326 were elderly people. Azerbaijanis captured and taken hostage by Armenia were brutally tortured and killed, and then their remains were buried en masse in an inhuman manner.Although numerous appeals have been made by the relevant state bodies of Azerbaijan to Armenia, as well as to international organizations, today the Armenian side avoids providing information about the fate of the missing persons under unjustified pretexts, and they kill the captured and hostage Azerbaijanis by subjecting them to various severe tortures and burying them in inhumane conditions. refuses to provide maps of cemeteries.
As it can be seen, the fundamental human rights of our compatriots, who have become refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of Armenia’s armed aggression against Azerbaijan, as well as those who have been captured, lost, and taken hostage, have the fundamental human rights established in international agreements and national legislation, especially life, freedom and free movement, property, safe living. , the rights to live in a healthy environment, health protection, protection of honor and dignity have been massively and grossly violated.
Most socio-economic infrastructure facilities, residential and non-residential, necessary for life in Karabakh and the surrounding regions, which are an integral part of our country, have been destroyed by Armenia, which has been occupying the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years, ignoring the generally accepted principles and norms of international law. objects were razed to the ground, even historical-cultural and religious monuments, including cemeteries, were completely destroyed.
During the occupation of Armenia, the natural resources in the territories of Azerbaijan were looted, gold, mercury, copper, lead, zinc, coal, etc. including 163 mineral deposits, as well as forest cover and rare trees were illegally exploited.
The fact that the Okchuchay, a cross-border river, has been exposed to severe pollution in the territory of Armenia for many years has a negative impact on the quality of water resources in the Araz River, the second largest river of the South Caucasus, which has extremely dangerous consequences for life and health.On the whole, Armenia, which still does not give up its actions that threaten the safety of humanity, continues to cause serious damage to the nature, biological diversity, flora and fauna, water sources, and the ecosystem of the region in general.
The fact that the technically and morally outdated “Metsamor” Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is still operating in Armenia is a source of serious danger not only for Azerbaijan and Armenia, but also for the entire region. This means that every country in the region faces the risk of experiencing the fate of Chernobyl and Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plants. Despite the warnings of various international organizations and experts in the atomic field, calling the expired “Metsamor” NPP “a threat to the entire region”, Armenia not only does not stop the operation of the plant, but its operation has been extended until 2026 and beyond.
By the way, in the report of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Relations and Security Policy (EU Commission) on the implementation of the partnership in Armenia dated May 17, 2022, it was also noted that “Metsamor” NPP will fully meet the internationally accepted standards for nuclear safety cannot be upgraded in form and therefore needs to be shut down and safely decommissioned.
After the signing of the tripartite Declaration of November 10, 2020 announcing the end of the military operations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ensuring sustainable peace that serves the normalization and development of interstate relations in the South Caucasus in accordance with new realities, the complete elimination of the long-lasting conflict in the region, new opportunities have emerged for the restoration of economic and transport relations.
At present, in order to ensure the safe return of our compatriots who have longed to return to their homeland for many years, Azerbaijan is carrying out measures to clear mines and other explosive devices from the territories freed from occupation, as well as reconstruction and construction works. All this is aimed at the complete solution of the internally displaced persons issue by serving sustainable development in those areas. However, unfortunately, Armenia’s disruptive and provocative activities, especially the existing mine problem, continue to be an important threat to the provision of sustainable and just peace in the region, to people’s lives and health, and the rights of our peaceful residents are still being violated.
Whether during the occupation, during the war, or after the liberation of our lands, as a result of the explosion of numerous anti-personnel and anti-tank mines buried in our territories by the Armenian armed forces, the fact that many civilians, along with military personnel, became victims of mine terrorism, thereby grossly violating their fundamental human rights clearly confirms this. Thus, from November 10, 2020 until now, 10 military personnel and 36 civilians were killed, and 146 military personnel and 88 civilians were injured in various degrees as a result of falling into landmines in the liberated territories. Thus, 3,357 people have been killed or injured as a result of mine explosions as a result of mine incidents that have occurred since 1991.The current landmine problem, which has caused numerous casualties and injuries, is delaying the safe return to our liberated areas and is a serious obstacle to the ongoing large-scale construction and rehabilitation. That is why, in order for our former IDPs, whose rights have been violated for many years, to return to their ancestral lands, those areas must first be cleared of mines, and the completely destroyed infrastructure must be restored there.Although Azerbaijan has repeatedly requested mine maps from Armenia, no adequate response has been given. The mine maps provided by Armenia covered a very small percentage of the total mined areas, and the accuracy and reliability of the information provided in those documents was at a very low level.As the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in our reports, statements and appeals addressed to international organizations, ombudsmen of foreign countries and national human rights institutions, we must provide information based on facts about the war and terrorist crimes committed by Armenia, including the landmine problem, and accurate maps of unmarked mines. despite the justification of its transfer to our country, the other party did not react to this issue. On the contrary, in the territories of Azerbaijan recognized by the UN and currently freed from occupation, completely contrary to the universally accepted principles and norms of international law, including international humanitarian law, Armenia still pollutes our lands with mines through various subversive groups.As a result of illegal exploitation and looting of natural resources by Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan, the environment is seriously damaged. Thus, the serious ecological damage caused by the illegal exploitation of the Kyzylbulag gold and Demirli copper-molybdenum mineral deposits in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, proves this once again. Unfortunately, international institutions are still silent on this issue.Regarding the groundless allegations mentioned in the statement published by the Ombudsman of Armenia these days, we inform you that the peaceful action continued on the Lachin-Khankendi road by representatives of civil society institutions operating in Azerbaijan and social activists who care about environmental protection is precisely the illegal exploitation and looting of the natural resources of our country by Armenia. and, as a result, it aims to prevent serious pollution of the environment caused by those activities.
It should be taken into account that the Republic of Azerbaijan ratified the UN Convention dated June 25, 1998 “On obtaining information on environmental issues, public participation in decision-making and open court of justice” according to the Law dated November 9, 1999. This action is also held in accordance with the requirements of the international agreements that our country is a party to, including this Convention.In the Resolution “Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan” adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006, the issue of assessing the impact of the fires on the occupied Azerbaijani lands on the ecological security of the region was raised, and in 2016, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the residents of the border regions of Azerbaijan deliberately in the resolution regarding the water deprivation, the immediate withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the said region and the provision of an on-site investigation by independent engineers and hydrologists were demanded. All this confirms the existence of serious violations of law. In addition to the, The Republic of Armenia is a party to the 1976 Convention “On the Prohibition of the Use of Any Military or Hostile Means of Impact on the Environment”, the 1989 Basel Convention “On the Control of Transboundary Transportation and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes”, “On the Transboundary Impact of Industrial Accidents” ” It is purposefully not complying with its obligations under the 1992 Convention and other international agreements. It is no coincidence that Armenia biasedly avoids ratifying the 1992 Convention “On the Protection and Use of Transboundary Waters and International Lakes”. It also deliberately fails to comply with its obligations under the 1992 Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents and other international agreements. It is no coincidence that Armenia biasedly avoids ratifying the 1992 Convention “On the Protection and Use of Transboundary Waters and International Lakes”. It also deliberately fails to comply with its obligations under the 1992 Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents and other international agreements. It is no coincidence that Armenia biasedly avoids ratifying the 1992 Convention “On the Protection and Use of Transboundary Waters and International Lakes”.
Action participants have never created an obstacle for the transportation of humanitarian cargo on the Lachin-Khankendi road and are not creating it now. Dozens of cars move freely in both directions on this road, which is open for humanitarian purposes.
Instead of making biased statements aimed at forming a false opinion against Azerbaijan by spreading false information about the action and confusing the international community, the Armenian side should stop the war crimes and environmental terrorism committed against Azerbaijan for many years, clarify the fate of nearly 4 thousand Azerbaijanis who disappeared as a result of military aggression against Azerbaijan. to investigate the facts of bringing captives and hostages of Azerbaijani citizens to severe torture and mass burial of their corpses,I invite you to hand over to our country the accurate maps of the mines buried by the Armenian armed forces in our territories and which caused the loss of life or severe injuries of innocent people resulting in disability.We believe that international organizations, world states, ombudsman institutions operating in foreign countries, and other national human rights institutions should ensure that Armenia complies with the norms and principles of international law, including the requirements of international humanitarian law, in order to restore human rights violated in the region, and to establish permanent peace. should make joint efforts.
Armenia should put an end to the pollution of the cross-border river Okchuchay with toxic substances, the illegal exploitation of the Kyzylbulag gold and Demirli copper-molybdenum mineral deposits in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, and conditions should be created for the relevant state bodies of Azerbaijan to monitor environmental and other damages in those deposits.In order to prevent the next disaster similar to Chernobyl and Fukushima, the operation of Metsamor NPP should be urgently stopped safely and radioactive waste should be disposed of in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, as well as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It should be under strict international control in accordance with the requirements set by Resolution No. 1588 (2007).Unpleasant events that lead to the formation of an atmosphere of intolerance against Azerbaijanis in Armenia and beyond its borders, which hinder the provision of sustainable peace between the parties, and at the same time, the use of hateful and spiteful expressions by people of Armenian origin in public speeches and on social media that promote enmity should be strongly condemned. In accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention “On Diplomatic Relations” adopted by the UN, and the 1973 Convention “On the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Persons Benefiting from International Protection, including Diplomatic Agents”, the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Azerbaijan Legal action should be taken against the attacks.
The irrefutable facts about human rights violations reflected in the previous years, as well as in our current appeal, make it necessary to take steps to establish international legal responsibility against that state by once again exposing Armenia’s crimes against peace and humanity, as well as war and terrorism.
We hope that it will be possible to achieve stability, security and economic development in the South Caucasus based on the fair position of international organizations and their approach on the level of respect for human rights.
It should be noted that the appeal was addressed to the UN Secretary General, the UN Security Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Human Rights Council, UNICEF, UNESCO, Europe To the leaders of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the International and European Ombudsmen Institutes, the Asian Ombudsmen Association, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Association of Ombudsmen of member states of this organization, the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children’s Rights, Human Rights Watch ” and “Amnesty International” organizations, ombudsmen of various countries and national human rights institutions, embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in foreign countries and foreign countries in our republic,It was sent to the diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan.