Taguhi Tovmasyan: It turns out that in Azerbaijan, well known for war crimes, a Committee on Human Rights exists

The following statement by Z. Orcu as a chair of some committee on human rights of the parliament of Azerbaijan is spread on the mass media: Azerbaijan took over Shushi by war and will take over Yerevan by peace.

I draw my international colleagues’ attention on the fact that this human rights official essentially ignores the key provisions referring to the protection of inalienable, universal rights, states are obliged to adhere to in their international relations. In particular, with such a statement the chair of the committee on human rights of the parliament of Azerbaijan welcomes Azerbaijan’s following behavior: Azerbaijan, violating the fundamental principles of refraining from the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes stipulated in the UN Charter, the OSCE Helsinki Final Act, also laid down on the basis of the negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, launched a large scale military aggression against Artsakh, used weapons prohibited by General International Law, targeted Artsakh’s civilians and civilian infrastructures.

Unfortunately, the killings of thousands of people as a consequence of Azerbaijan's war crimes do not matter to this human rights official anyway.

J. Orca, committed to the logics of Azerbaijan’s conquering policy, refers to the taking over of the capital of the subject of the International Law, Republic of Armenia, which is surely a flagrant violation of the International Law.

Referring to the mentioned by J. Orca peace, I would like to stress:

Your peace manifests itself as following:

. Daily using of firearms and grenade launchers;

. Killings and causing injuries to the Armenian civilians and servicemen, direct targeting at the civilian population;

. holding Armenian prisoners of war and civilians as hostages, extrajudicial killings of the captured Armenian servicemen and civilians;

. enforced disappearance;

. torture, other cruel and inhuman treatment of civilians, including women;

. Ethnic hatred against Armenians, carrying out the state policy of a new genocide against Armenians;

. Blocking Artsakh and its connection with the world;

. Blocking of food supply for children, gross violation of their right to life;

. Blocking of the necessary medical care for the injured;

. Disregard of the International Humanitarian Law generally...

Just worth mentioning: Your peace agenda is so fake that the International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan to:

1. “Protect from violence and bodily harm all persons captured and remained in detention in relation to the military conflict of 2020, as well as ensure their security and equality before the law”;

2. “Take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin”...

At the same time you can take note that the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the fulfillment of the obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination include cases of gross human rights violations committed by Azerbaijan during the aggression against Artsakh in 2020 and beyond.

In order to get informed about the shameful state of human rights in your country you can follow the link below and read Freedom House’s Freedom in the World — Azerbaijan Country Reports 2021, 2022.

Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, nonpartisan Taguhi Tovmasyan