Azerbaijan crossed the line of contact with the Republic of Artsakh and continued to target civilians. URGENT message to all international colleagues.
On March 26, at around 10:00 a.m., during pruning and cleaning work in the vineyard of the area called Khzazen Tak of the Martunu region of Artsakh, irregular shots were fired from the enemy’s positions at the residents of Sos village Razmik Harutyunyan and Yervand Balayan.
On the same day, around 11:00 a.m., residents of Taghavard village, Vova Khachatryan and Ruben Alaverdyan, while doing agricultural work in the wheat field of the area called Shekheri Yeres, were shot by Azerbaijani soldiers. Irregular shots were fired at the citizens of Artsakh from the adjacent Azerbaijani combat positions with various rifle weapons. Agricultural work has been stopped.
On the same day, around 11:30 a.m., in the administrative area of Martakert city, while doing agricultural work in the pomegranate orchard belonging to Alyosha Zakaryan, Irregular shots were fired from the Azerbaijani military positions at the workers.
Read also
On March 25, Azerbaijan crossed the line of contact with the armed forces of the Republic of Artsakh and secured a certain positional advance in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh in the direction of the Stepanakert-Lisagor gravel road.
On March 27, at around 9:00, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces unit again tried to advance in the direction of one of the heights adjacent to the Stepanakert-Lisagor gravel road. Thanks to the preventive actions of the soldiers of the Armed Forces on combat duty in the mentioned area, the advance attempt of the Azerbaijani unit was stopped.
With the above-mentioned actions, Azerbaijan is trying to break the only connection between Stepanakert and a number of villages in Shushi region, and by targeting civilians, it is undermining the right to life of the people of Artsakh, their peaceful coexistence, and is trying to create an atmosphere of fear.
Azerbaijan challenges the entire international legal order, ignoring the decision of the International Court of Justice, the most important provisions of international humanitarian law, violating the obligations assumed by the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020.
Taking into account all of these, I have sent urgent letters to my international partners, asking them to exert mediation efforts with the full force of their mandate, aimed at the immediate unblocking of the Berdzor corridor and curbing Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy. At the same time, I requested them to make a public critical statement directed at the criminal behavior of Azerbaijan.
Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, nonpartisan Taguhi Tovmasyan
