Ombudsman Issues Statement On 5Th Anniversary Of The Patriotic War

Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva has issued a statement on the 5th anniversary of the Patriotic War.

Azernews presents the statement:

"Five years have passed since the Armenian armed forces launched large-scale military operations on September 27, 2020, in violation of the generally recognized norms and principles of international law, intensively and heavily shelling settlements densely populated with Azerbaijani civilians, resulting in the loss of numerous civilians.

During that period, Azerbaijan, exercising its right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, launched counter-offensive operations to ensure the right to life of the civilian population and liberate our lands that had been under occupation for nearly thirty years. As a result, the implementation of decisions and resolutions of authoritative international organizations that had remained on paper for many years was ensured, and the violated rights of more than one million refugees and internally displaced persons were restored.

During the 44-day Patriotic War, the Armenian armed forces grossly violated the norms of international law and international humanitarian law and targeted territories densely populated with Azerbaijani civilians far from the combat zone. They shelled one of the country's largest cities, regional centers, and other settlements with long-range operational-tactical and ballistic missile systems. As a result of war crimes deliberately committed by Armenia in violation of international humanitarian law, including the requirements of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 'Relating to the Protection of War Victims' and their Additional Protocols, about 100 civilians, including 12 children, were killed and more than 450 civilians were injured. In addition, 12,000 civilian infrastructure facilities in Azerbaijan, including more than 3,410 houses, 120 apartment buildings, and numerous schools, hospitals, and kindergartens, were destroyed or severely damaged due to heavy artillery fire.

In order to prevent the provocative actions of separatist forces that posed a threat to peace and security in the region in the post-war period, and to protect human rights and freedoms, local anti-terrorist measures were implemented in September 2023.

As a result of the Patriotic War and anti-terrorist measures, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state were fully ensured, and new opportunities for the protection of human rights in the region were opened.

Some time ago, during the meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the United States of America, the 'Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia' was initialed. With this historic event, significant progress was made in ensuring lasting peace and stability not only between the two countries, but also in the region as a whole.

As the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I would like to emphasize once again that it is extremely important to restore human rights and freedoms violated during the occupation and war, clarify the fate of missing persons, provide accurate mine maps in order to accelerate the process of clearing our liberated territories from mines, and ensure the safe and dignified return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands.

In this regard, it is of particular importance for international organizations, world states, ombudsmen, and national human rights institutions of foreign countries to take joint initiatives to ensure the norms of international law and international humanitarian law, punish those who committed war crimes, restore violated human rights, and establish sustainable development and lasting peace.

I respectfully commemorate the dear memory of our martyrs who lost their lives for the full protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the protection of the right to life of the civilian population, and the restoration of the rights and freedoms of former internally displaced persons, which had been grossly violated for many years, and I wish peace for our country, the region, and the world."

The statement was sent 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, the heads of UNICEF, UNESCO, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the International and European Ombudsman Institutions, the Asian Ombudsman Association, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Association of Ombudsmen of its Member States, the Association of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions of Turkic States, the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Network of Ombudsmen for the Rights of the Child, the International Peace Bureau, the Universal Peace Federation, ombudsmen and national human rights institutions of various countries, embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan abroad, and Azerbaijani diaspora organizations.

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