Dunja Mijatović: The Armenians of Artsakh found themselves abandoned, without any reliable security or protection guarantees by any party

“Human rights violations have again marked the last chapter
of the long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in and around the Karabakh
region. Full respect for human rights of all and strict adherence to relevant
international standards should be now placed at the centre of the path towards
reconciliation and durable peace between the two countries,” said the Council
of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. This is said in the
statement issued by the office of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human
Rights.

Mijatović visited Armenia and Azerbaijan on Oct. 16-23. She
met with top officials, human rights defenders, conflict victims, 
representatives of international and human rights organizations. She also
visited depopulated Artsakh. 

As Mijatović noted, the visit was prompted by the mass
displacement of over 100,600 Armenians from Artsakh, who fled to Armenia in
only a few days at the end of September. It followed Azerbaijan’s military
action on Sept. 19 and 20, its subsequent full control over the region and the
prolonged disruption in the movement of people and access to essential goods,
services and energy supplies experienced by people of Artsakh as a result of a
nine-month blocking of the road along the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan.

“They found themselves abandoned, without any reliable
security or protection guarantees by any party. For them, leaving home was the
only option available”, the Commissioner said.

Mijatović visited shelters for displaced persons in the
cities of Aghavnadzor and Tsaghkadzor in the Kotayk province, where she spoke
with Armenians from Artsakh, including families, older persons, people with
disabilities and other vulnerable persons. 

The Commissioner called on Council of Europe member states
to provide full support to ensure the sustainability of the necessary
assistance.

As she put it, Azerbaijan must guarantee the human rights of
the ethnic Armenians remaining in the region and of those who have left for
Armenia, including the right to return to their homes in safety and dignity.