CE Commissioner for Human Rights concludes her visit to Armenia,  Azerbaijan with focus on human rights situation of people affected by  conflict in and around the Karabakh region

ArmInfo. "Human rights violations have again marked the last chapter of the long conflict  between Armenia and Azerbaijan in and around the Karabakh region. 

Full respect for human rights of all and strict adherence to relevant  international standards should be now placed at the centre of the  path towards reconciliation and durable peace between the two  countries", said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights,  Dunja Mijatovic, at the end of her visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan,  including the Karabakh region, which took place from 16 to 23 October  2023.

The visit was prompted by the mass displacement of over 100'600  Karabakh Armenians who fled to Armenia in only a few days at the end  of September. It followed Azerbaijan's military action on 19 and 20  September, its subsequent full control over the region and the  prolonged disruption in the movement of people and access to  essential goods, services and energy supplies experienced by Karabakh  Armenians as a result of a nine-month blocking of the road along the  Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. "They found themselves abandoned,  without any reliable security or protection guarantees by any party.  For them, leaving home was the only option available", said the  Commissioner.

During the visit to Armenia, the Commissioner had meetings with the  Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tigran  Khachatryan, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Narek  Mkrtchyan, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Paruyr Hovhannisyan, the  Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure,  Vache Terteryan, the Head of the Migration and Citizenship Service of  the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Armen Ghazaryan, and the President  of the Investigative Committee, Argishti Kyaramyan.  The Commissioner  also met with the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Anahit Manasyan.  She visited shelters for displaced persons in the cities of  Aghavnadzor and Tsaghkadzor in the Kotayk province, where she spoke  with Karabakh Armenians, including families, older persons, people  with disabilities and other vulnerable persons. The Commissioner had  also meetings with representatives of international organisations and  civil society.

The Commissioner welcomed again the efforts made by the Armenian  authorities to assist all those in need in the immediate term with  the support of UNHCR, other UN agencies and civil society. She calls  on Council of Europe member states to provide full support to ensure  the sustainability of the necessary assistance to respond to the  needs of the persons recently displaced to Armenia, especially in  relation to their medium and long-term situation. Particular  attention in this respect needs to be paid to the needs of vulnerable  groups.

During the visit to Azerbaijan, the Commissioner had meetings with  the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Head  of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential  Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev, the Deputy Minister of Foreign  Affairs, Yalchin Rafiyev and the Deputy Head of Working Group of the  State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons  Eldar Samadov. The Commissioner also met with the Commissioner for  Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva.

The Azerbaijani authorities informed the Commissioner of the measures  taken by the State for the reintegration of the Karabakh region and  the people living there. The Commissioner stressed that Azerbaijan  must guarantee the human rights of the ethnic Armenians remaining in  the region and of those who have left for Armenia, including the  right to return to their homes in safety and dignity.

The Commissioner also visited the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. This  was the first time in decades that a human rights mission of this  kind was able to visit the region, although its scope was limited due  to security concerns linked to the presence of mines. The  Commissioner travelled to Fuzuli, Shusha, Malibayli village,  Khankendi, Khojaly and Aghdam. She was shocked to see that the city  of Khankendi was almost completely empty following the departure of  its population in September. She was informed that only a very few  ethnic Armenians who lived in the region have remained. She spoke  with some of the people present in Khankendi, including at the  shelter opened to receive the most vulnerable among those who have  stayed. In Fuzuli and Aghdam in particular, the Commissioner saw the  destructed towns and villages which appeared to have remained for  decades in ruins. In Fuzuli, the Commissioner visited a recently  constructed residential area to which some of the Azerbaijanis  displaced decades ago have returned. In several places, she visited  religious and burial sites and in Aghdam, she met with the Deputy  Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine  Action, Samir Poladov and saw areas where demining works are  underway. During her travel to the Karabakh region, she also met with  local representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection  of Population and the State Migration Service as well as with  officials of the Special Representations of the President of the  Republic of Azerbaijan in Shusha district and in other territories of  the Karabakh region.

During the visit to Azerbaijan, the Commissioner met with displaced  persons, landmine victims, witnesses and survivors of past human  rights violations and their families, as well as family members of  missing persons. The Commissioner and members of her team also had  meetings with representatives of international organisations and  civil society.

Throughout the visit to both countries, the Commissioner heard  reports of serious human rights violations in relation to the  long-standing conflict and could witness the deep suffering of the  civilian populations affected by the different outbreaks of  hostilities throughout the years. The Commissioner discussed with her  official interlocutors the humanitarian and human rights consequences  of the conflict in and around the Karabakh region, including as a  result of the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and  Azerbaijan and the most recent events which followed the blocking of  the Lachin corridor and Azerbaijan's military operation. In  particular, she stressed again the importance of ensuring the human  rights of all displaced persons, including their right to return in  dignity and safety; the right to be protected against the danger of  mines and explosive remnants of war; the human rights of captives to  receive protection; the right to know the fate and whereabout of  missing persons; the need for independent and effective  investigations into serious human rights violations reported in  relation to the conflict; and the importance of providing adequate  and effective reparation to the victims. She stressed that now more  than ever, all parties should take resolute action to prevent and  combat hate speech and support initiative that promote co-existence  and reconciliation.