Dear colleagues!

Acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and deportation policy carried out by Armenia against the people of Azerbaijan based on racial discrimination and hatred continued throughout centuries and clearly manifested themselves in various historical periods.

The further expansion of this insidious politics in the 1990s resulted in the commission of ethnic-based, large-scale, and systematic violence and acts of genocide against the population of Azerbaijan and the forced displacement of our hundreds of thousands of compatriots from then living in the territory of Western Azerbaijan (present-day Armenia) their ancestral lands. 

These crimes, committed by Armenia in violation of international treaties to which it was also a party, have been repeatedly confessed by former leaders of this country, namely Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan. 

The views expressed by the former President of Armenia, S.Sargsyan, who participated in the First Karabakh War, openly demonstrated support for ethnic hatred. Thus, S.Sargsyan confessed the intent of committing the Khojaly Genocide in his interview with the British journalist, Thomas de Vaal. His statements once again clearly manifest that the genocide has been committed deliberately by the administration of Armenia and based on the hatred against the people of Azerbaijan. Such confessions transparently reveal the large-scale and systematic nature of crimes perpetrated by Armenia against the people of Azerbaijan.        

The opinions stated by Levon Ter-Petrosyan in videos circulated through media and social networks in recent days once again show that the deportation of our compatriots from Western Azerbaijan, as well as acts of genocide committed in Karabakh and the surrounding territories, had been carried out purposefully precisely under their leadership.    

It became clear when watching the video that the first President of Armenia openly admitted that the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia was an integral part of the policy pursued by Armenian chauvinists to realize territorial claims against Azerbaijan. For this purpose, preparations had been made for the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis, who consisted of the majority of the population in Basarkecher, Ulukhanli, and Amasya, and in Zangazur as a whole.  

In his speech, Levon Ter-Petrosyan asserted the forced expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia as "a great achievement of the Armenian people" and claimed that only through this step had Armenia advanced on its path to independence. According to him, the complete cleansing of Armenia and Karabakh from Azerbaijanis meant solving a "problem" that the Armenian people had been unable to resolve for centuries: "Our greatest happiness is that we organized the work of our militsia (police officers). The created armed groups provided support to our army. Thus, we had already gained significant experience even before Armenia and Azerbaijan achieved independence. All other nations have been cleansed from Armenia and Karabakh. I reiterate that this was a 600-year-old problem. The Armenian people will recognize its importance even after six hundred years. Imagine, we wouldn't have had our state if, as of 1988, today in Armenia, there were still 170,000 other ethnic groups (Azerbaijanis). We could have protected neither our northern nor eastern districts nor Sevan (Lake Goycha). Moreover, we would have faced three new problems here. Do not forget that in these three regions, Azerbaijanis were the majority. These were the Vardenis (Basarkecher), Masis (Uluxanlı), and Amasya regions. Azerbaijanis were also the majority in Zangazur. Fortunately, this problem was resolved in time."

These statements further substantiate the fact that Armenia’s ethnic cleansing and violent acts against Azerbaijanis were carried out deliberately, systematically, and in a meticulously planned manner. The statements made by Levon Ter-Petrosyan in front of the "Yerpaka," the members of the Armenian national movement military wing, openly demonstrate the policy based on the fascist and nationalist ideology of Armenia's leadership, and hatred and hostility toward Azerbaijan.

International crimes against Azerbaijan over the years have been primarily caused by the establishment and growth of state-level anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turkish enmity among the Armenian population.

There is substantial evidence and proof of many crimes against humanity and peace, as well as the war crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and deportation acts committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis. Although relevant reports,[1],[2],[3] statements, and appeals have been submitted to international organizations on these facts, these international crimes have not yet received an adequate response due to the double standards against Azerbaijan. It is especially concerning that Armenia has recently been denying these crimes, instead of creating unfounded accusations to damage Azerbaijan's reputation at the international level. 

Furthermore, according to the reports we have submitted, it is evidenced that Armenia has not only disregarded its commitments under the international treaties it has ratified within the past period but has also persisted in committing more widespread and egregious violations of the fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in these documents.

International documents impose specific obligations on Armenia, including creating conditions for the peaceful, safe, and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from its territory, without any discrimination, and ensuring the restoration and protection of their rights. Therefore, the rights of Azerbaijanis who were previously forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands in present-day Armenia must be recognized and ensured as an inherent, unalienable, absolute, and decisive factor. Armenia's national legal system must be improved to be accessible for Azerbaijanis, their equal rights should be guaranteed,  education in their native language should be provided, and the use of the Azerbaijani language in legislative, executive, and judicial organizations should be ensured. 

In my opinion, the deportation of nearly 300,000 Azerbaijanis from present-day Armenia should be condemned as an unprecedented and unjust decision worldwide; the international community must focus on their right to a dignified and safe return and the persistence of this situation must be recognized as a threat to international peace and security.

Based on widely recognized standards and principles of international law, I, as the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, express my deep regret over this issue and urge international organizations, ombudspersons and national human rights institutions of other countries to take a resolute and equitable stand against Azerbaijan without double standards. In addition, in order to attain a fair resolution of the situation, I, also call for prompt actions on the following issues:

1. To take effective measures at the international level to investigate the horrific facts disclosed in the confessions of Armenia's former president;
2. To recognize the acts of genocide committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis on the grounds of racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination; to ensure the safe and dignified return of our compatriots, who were subjected to ethnic cleansing and deportation, to Western Azerbaijan (present-day Armenia) - their historical ancestral lands; and to support the prompt restoration of their violated rights;
3. To guarantee that all fundamental rights and freedoms of Azerbaijanis who return to their ancestral lands in present-day Armenia, specified in international legal norms, be protected;
4. To ensure that Azerbaijanis’ properties, including various types of land are returned to their legitimate owners; to compensate for damages and losses resulting from the restriction of property use; to pay for all costs associated with the restoration of property rights; and to take other necessary measures, all of which must be guaranteed by the Government of Armenia;
5. To recognize as an international crime Armenia’s systematic policy of vandalism, including the destruction, looting, appropriation, alteration of origin, and repurposing of properties, as well as historical, cultural, and religious monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis in present-day Armenia and during the occupation of Azerbaijan's Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur Economic Regions, and to take necessary relevant actions;
6. To demand that the Government of Armenia refrain from racist, ethnic, and religious acts that incite hatred and discrimination against Azerbaijanis, with a specific focus on preventing the involvement of minors in such activities;
7. To demand that literature that incites hatred against Azerbaijanis and is used to influence the next generation be banned;
8. To demand that the state officials and politicians stop making speeches that incite hatred against Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan.

I hope that international human rights organizations, ombudspersons, and national human rights institutions from other countries, as well as the global community, will take this issue seriously and provide their support for a fair investigation of the crimes committed in the territories of Azerbaijan, as well as the restoration of the rights of Azerbaijanis.

Sincerely,

Sabina Aliyeva 

The Commissioner for Human Rights 

(Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan 

[1] https://ombudsman.az/storage/gKAhHA7gCS26ihdkS1HtkVrmYdZk1DMN58Aj6Hxe.pdf

[2] https://ombudsman.az/storage/nwz5lWOsLIpedAZC9pgxx8hf9YHYKO72YadAWmPB.pdf

[3] https://ombudsman.az/storage/2ZjT7pi4zxrvXzQd6tnBtj6A04QgkEywaddqA93S.pdf