Armenian, Artsakh human rights defenders send joint invitations to diplomats and heads of international organizations in Armenia to visit Artsakh

Today the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh sent joint invitations to all heads of diplomatic representations and international organizations accredited in the Republic of Armenia to visit Artsakh.

“Since September 27, 2020, the military forces of Azerbaijan are carrying out targeted and indiscriminate intensive strikes and shelling towards civilian settlements and peaceful population of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). Attacks are indiscriminate and in most cases targeted with clear purpose to cause as much damage to civilians as possible, including killings, injuries, and mass destructions,” the joint invitation reads.

The two ombudsmen stressed that it is proved not only by targeted air and artillery attacks, their grave consequences but also by repeated use of forbidden cluster munitions, cluster warhead missiles towards villages and cities, schools and kindergartens, hospitals and Armenian religious and cultural heritage.

“Attacks on peaceful population have become more and more intensive. At least 44 civilians were killed and 141 were injured, including children, women, the elderly, as of October 30,” they said, stressing that on October 28, Azerbaijani military heavily struck the Central Hospital and the Maternity Hospital of Stepanakert, as well as residential areas of Stepanakert, Shushi and other communities.

“As a result of the Azerbaijani attacks, 24,000 children have been deprived of education and more than 29,000 children had to leave their homes for other communities of Artsakh or for Armenia.

In addition to targeting civilian objects and population, jihadists and members of terrorist groups from Libya, Afghanistan, northern parts of Syria and other countries together with members of the Azerbaijani armed forces, with the extensive support of Turkey, commit atrocities: beheadings of members of Artsakh Defense Army, mutilations, willful killings of prisoners of war and civilians.

All above mentioned is accompanied with massive hate speech and aggressive calls for violence, including killings from Turkish and Azerbaijani media and social network sources towards ethnic Armenians,” the two ombudsmen noted, adding that children are targeted with social media attacks illustrating violence and torture and these enjoy state support from Azerbaijan.

“All these factors clearly demonstrate the policy of ethnic cleansing and terror-inspiring means by Azerbaijan against the Armenian civilian population. These have already caused a humanitarian disaster and sufferings for tens of thousands of peaceful innocent people including children, women, and elderly. Thus, we kindly invite all heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Armenia [by individual invitations] to carry out a humanitarian mission to Nagorno Karabakh to verify the real situation with human rights violations, evidence of cluster munitions used and damaged caused to the peaceful population of Artsakh. The Human Rights Defender of Armenia undertakes the responsibility to accompany you to Artsakh, namely Stepanakert and Shushi and, together with the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh in close coordination with respective authorities of Armenia and Artsakh guarantee the security of the mission and ensure its pure humanitarian nature. It should be ensured that the international principle “No one should be left behind and no human right ignored” is not a nice expression, but an idea invented to protect real people in real life,” Arman Tatoyan and Artak Beglaryan said in their joint invitation.