Artsakh Union NGO  head  presents  failed policy of Armenian  authorities regarding  protection of Artsakh people`s rights 

ArmInfo. Artak Beglaryan, head of the Artsakh Union NNGO and former NKR Ombudsman, presented the results of the Armenian authorities' policy in ensuring  the rights of the Artsakh people during a parliamentary hearing on  the draft law "On the National Crisis and Failure of Governance."

The head of the Union noted that it is precisely as a result of the  ruling regime's actions that Artsakh is temporarily under Azerbaijani  occupation. Regarding the current situation, he noted that it can be  viewed in three ways.

Firstly, as Beglaryan noted, after the forced displacement, that  people of Artsakh  are not perceived as citizens by the authorities;  moreover, they are denied their inherent right to return.

In this vein, the former NKR Ombudsman mentioned that this inherent  right is essentially being denied by the ruling regime, despite the  International Court of Justice ruling  that the forcibly displaced  population of Artsakh has the right to return. "Therefore, with this  ruling, the Republic of Armenia has assumed an additional obligation  to implement this right," the former Artsakh Ombudsman noted.

Beglaryan noted that in the negotiation process, it is not  Azerbaijan, but Armenia, that should dictate its terms, demanding  international security guarantees for return. However, as the head of  the Artsakh Union NGO continued, the draft peace treaty does not  contain a single clause regarding either ethnic cleansing or the  right of return.

Secondly,  the Armenian authorities have failed to resolve the  humanitarian issues of the Artsakh people, as they have deprived the  NKR population of financial assistance. This has resulted in  poverty  levels among the Artsakh population exceeding 80%. "And this is at a  time when the average poverty rate in Armenia is around 23%,"  Beglaryan noted, adding that this has ultimately led to increased  emigration.

This, as the head of the Artsakh Union noted, is a consequence of the  failure of the Armenian government's programs, particularly in  regards to  housing and employment. Beglaryan also highlighted  the  issue of hate speech spread  directed towards  the Artsakh  population. "When the people of Artsakh raised their voices to be  heard, hate speech against them increased. However, neither the  Investigative Committee nor the Prosecutor's Office did anything to  stop such situations. Meanwhile, when representatives of the ruling  party were affected, immediate action was taken," Beglaryan  concluded.