Azerbaijani Ombudsperson appeals to international organizations on destruction of graves of Azerbaijanis by Armenians

Azerbaijan`s Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva has addressed an appeal to international organizations on the destruction of the graves of Azerbaijanis by Armenians.

Report informs, citing AZERTAC, that the appeal reads: “Another video showing the results of the ethnic hatred-based policy formed for ages by the Armenian military-political leadership against Azerbaijanis was posted on social networks. From that video, it became visible how Armenians vandalized tombstones belonging to Azerbaijanis buried in the city of Khankendi, located in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan, and that these actions were carried out intentionally and out of hatred.

We would like to remind this year, the Azerbaijani Ombudsperson issued a report on the outcomes of her fact-finding missions carried out to Fuzuli, Zengilan, and Aghdam districts to investigate the facts of destruction and insult in cemeteries during the occupation of Armenia, which was also brought to the attention of the world community. The report covered the facts of the mass destruction of gravestones belonging to Azerbaijanis, the removal of skulls from graves, and the exhumation of golden teeth.

Unfortunately, the lack of any legal punitive measures against those who have committed such numerous war crimes in violation of international law, including international humanitarian law for nearly 30 years, still causes persistent perpetration and publication of such inhumane and full of hatred criminal acts leading to the gross violation of the right to freedom of religion.

Considering that Armenia's steps calculated to create a wrong opinion about Azerbaijan at the international level have recently become more widespread, we call on international organizations and the world community as a whole not to be indifferent to such cases of vandalism, and to take effective measures against Armenia to stop its hate policy, which prevents building just peace and security in the region by promoting provocative acts that incite national-religious enmity and targets Azerbaijanis precisely because of their ethnicity.”