Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke on Thursday 26 October about her visit to Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Karabakh region from 16 to 23 October.
This mission focused on the displacement of more than 100,600 Karabakh Armenians, who fled to Armenia after Azerbaijan took military action on 19 and 20 September and announced the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
In her statement, the Commissioner said she was “shocked to see that the city of Khankendi” (the name given by the Azerbaijanis to Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh) “was almost completely empty following the departure of its population in September”.
For the Karabakh Armenians, “leaving home was the only option available”, she adds.
She was able to meet several of these displaced persons in Armenia and welcomes the efforts of the authorities to provide them with aid, which must be supported by Council of Europe member states to ensure its sustainability.
Only a very small number of ethnic Armenians still live in Karabakh, the Commissioner learned during a visit to the region which was “limited in scope due to security problems linked to the presence of mines”.
In both Armenia and Azerbaijan, she heard reports of “serious human rights violations in relation to the long-standing conflict and could witness the deep suffering of the civilian populations affected by the different outbreaks of hostilities throughout the years”.
She is calling for independent investigations into these violations, respect for the human rights of displaced persons and their right to return in dignity and safety.
All prisoners must be protected and reparation must be made to the victims.
“Now more than ever”, concludes Dunja Mijatović, “all parties should take resolute action to prevent and combat hate speech and support initiatives that promote coexistence and reconciliation”.
Link to the Declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/9b1 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)