Committee for Protection of Fundamental Rights of People of Artsakh  demands end to violation of Artsakh residents` rights by Azerbaijan 

ArmInfo.The Committee for the Protection of Fundamental Rights of the People of Artsakh issued a  statement in connection with the repeated violation of the rights of Artsakh people by Azerbaijan. The statement notes that on March 8, 2024, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree appointing a  judge and chairman of the city court of Stepanakert, the capital of the occupied Artsakh Republic.

"We believe that these appointments have far-reaching,  malicious/destructive intentions aimed at initiating an illegal  process of grabbing property and harassing individuals.

Any political appointment in any city or region of occupied  Nagorno-Karabakh, especially in the absence of a population forcibly  removed from their homes under the threat of ethnic cleansing and  genocide, is both illegal and reprehensible.

"In addition, we condemn other political appointments made by  Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, which further highlight the  systematic disregard for the democratic will and rights of the  indigenous population of Artsakh," the statement said.

The Committee is confident that these actions of Azerbaijan not only  contradict the principles of self- determination and democratic  governance, but also clearly demonstrate the lack of real efforts to  reflect the will of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in the political  and administrative processes of the region.

"We are also deeply disappointed by the withdrawal of the  International Committee of the Red Cross mission from  Nagorno-Karabakh. Without the ICRC, the only international presence  on the ground, Azerbaijan's hands will be completely untied - it will  do what it wants and what it has craved for so long.

Although the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is not conducive to the  safe return of displaced persons, international law protects the  right of forcibly displaced persons to return to their territory of  origin. This right is recognized by international law, universal  human rights and international humanitarian law and is protected by  the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant  on Civil and Political Rights and many other international  conventions and declarations," the Committee said.

It is also recalled that on November 17 last year, the International  Court of Justice ruled that Azerbaijan must "ensure" the possibility  of the Artsakh people returning to Nagorno-Karabakh "safely,  unhindered and quickly." In addition, on March 12, the European  Parliament adopted a resolution calling on Azerbaijan to "enter into  a truly comprehensive and transparent dialogue with the Armenians of  Karabakh to ensure respect for their rights and guarantee their  security, including the right to return and live in their homes in  Karabakh with dignity and security in an international presence."

"We call on Azerbaijan, instead of engaging in the illegal  legalization of territories acquired as a result of war and violence,  to fulfill its international obligations by ensuring the safe and  unhindered return of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to their homes  and historical homeland," the Committee concluded.

The Committee for the Protection of Fundamental Rights of the People  of Artsakh was created and authorized by a decision of the Artsakh  Parliament on December 2, 2023.