RA Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan wrote on his Facebook page: “From 11 a.m., Azerbaijani servicemen deliberately set fires near the villages of Sotk and Kut, starting from the vicinity of their tents.
During the day, the fires in the direction of the village of Sotk in the Gegharkunik Province of the RA were extinguished, while the fires near Kut were not extinguished and spread due to weather conditions. The published photos show the current situation.
I specifically note that these areas contain the hayfields and pastures of the community residents, and the fires are simply destroying them. Considering also that the Azerbaijani armed forces have invaded and are deployed in the immediate vicinity of the villages, on the sovereign territory of the RA, the fires also pose a real danger to the civilian population of the villages.
Verifications of the residents’ alarms testify that these diversionary criminal acts against the civilian population of the RA are being committed deliberately.
First, the Azerbaijani servicemen clearly know that they are deployed in the pastures, hayfields and arable lands belonging to civilians, and that people cannot even use the areas adjacent to the Azerbaijani positions, because if people even approach those places, they open fire.
In addition, the Azerbaijani servicemen know that the current weather conditions are such that the fire will spread quickly and destroy the areas belonging to the people, depriving them of their source of livelihood. And then, they also know that the residents will also see these fires, and they are obviously doing this to frighten the civilian population.
Yesterday I stated that the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the villages of the RA and the roads between communities has no alternative for guaranteeing the rights of the border residents of the RA, the peaceful and secure life of the people.
The facts of the recent actions of the Azerbaijanis in Syunik, Gegharkunik and Ararat, including shootings, testify that they are becoming more and more dangerous for civilians, have direct intent, have become targeted, and the violations of rights are of a mass nature.
This latest report of the Human Rights Defender of the RA will be officially sent on Monday, August 30, with relevant proposals or demands to international structures, as well as to the state bodies of the RA and civil society organizations of the RA.”
Arman Tatoyan also published a video.
