ArmInfo.Armenia's Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan and Ms Melissa Hooper, USAID Senior Advisor on Rule of Law and Human Rights, discussed the humanitarian situation in Armenia after the forcibly displaced Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians arrived in Armenia.
Anahit Manasyan presented the problems associated with protecting the rights of people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijani aggression. These problems, the report says, were recorded as a result of the office's assessment of the primary needs of displaced people and the condition of temporary shelters.
The human rights defender pointed to Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as cases of torture, mutilation and ill-treatment of Armenians prohibited by international law by Azerbaijani armed forces.
Anahit Manasyan also touched upon the topic of serious humanitarian problems and violations of fundamental human rights caused by Azerbaijani aggression. In this context, the reports submitted by the Human Rights Defender documenting the monitoring results were noted.
During the meeting, Manasyan also pointed out issues related to the protection of the rights of residents of border settlements of the Republic of Armenia, noting that the presence of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia is a very alarming fact from the point of view of the protection and guarantees of human rights.
The Ombudsman presented the priorities of the office of the Human Rights Defender, emphasizing the importance of the work and programs carried out to eliminate hate speech and hatred. Issues related to ensuring the right to free expression by the media and the safety of journalists were also discussed.
Among other issues, possible areas for expanding cooperation between USAID and the Office of the Human Rights Defender, and the possibility of developing the potential of the Ombudsman's Office with the support of the Agency were also discussed.