ArmInfo.The facts of violation of the rights of border residents of Armenia by the armed forces of Azerbaijan were presented by the Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan during a meeting with Nathalie Loiseau, head of the European Parliament's subcommittee on Security and Defense, head of the delegation of the "La Republique en Marche" party in the European Parliament, who is in Yerevan.
According to the press service of the Human Rights Defender, in particular, Tatoyan presented evidence confirming that there should not be Azerbaijani soldiers, flags and signs on the roads between the villages of Syunik and Gegharkunik.
The RA Ombudsman noted that the Azerbaijani servicemen periodically create obstacles for harvesting and haymaking, steal animals, threaten the population, and so on.
According to him, these criminal actions of Azerbaijani military personnel are aimed at depriving the citizens of the Republic of Armenia of the opportunity to live, own property, other vital rights, engage in livestock breeding and receive family income.
During the meeting, the Human Rights Defender spoke in detail about the urgency of the return of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, noting that portraying them as "terrorists" or "saboteurs" grossly violates international requirements.
He noted that all the military and civilians of the Armenian side who are in captivity must be immediately released and returned to their homeland without any political or other preconditions. "The Azerbaijani authorities are artificially dragging out and politicizing this process, grossly violating the rights of prisoners and their families, causing them suffering and causing tension in society," he said. The defender also presented the war crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan during the war in Artsakh in November-December 2020. Arman Tatoyan presented evidence of how the Azerbaijani authorities encourage Armenophobia and the killing of Armenians. According to him, the opening of the so-called "trophy park" in Baku is a vivid proof of this. Following the meeting, the parties reached an agreement on cooperation in the field of human rights protection.