RESIDENTS OF OCCUPIED ARMENIAN TERRITORIES APPEAL TO EUROPEAN COURT

PanArmenian News
Dec 16 2004

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representatives of the families of those deported
in 1991-1992 from the Armenian-populated regions of Getashen and
Shahumian have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights against
Azerbaijan. It is being done on the initiative of Shahumian-Getashen
philanthropic society. The suit will specifically raise the issue of
protection of the right for property of those deported. It should
be reminded that residents of Getashen sub-region of North Artsakh
(Karabakh), populated by Armenians, were deported and partially
killed in the course of Ring joint operation of the soviet army
and the Azeri OMON in 1991. One of the goals of the operation was to
“frighten” Armenians, who headed for the independence from the USSR and
“encourage” the Azeris faithful to the Soviet authorities. The soviet
army launched the cleansing operation in Getashen May 1. Here we cite
an extract from the telegram of Getashen residents of May 4, 1991:
“The soviet army annihilates us. Helicopters fire on us from the sky,
tanks trample us on the ground, Azeri OMON take our children, women and
the elderly hostage from our homes and yards, break their hands and
legs, ribs, scalp them and stab them. We stood firm for three years,
but we cannot resist to the soviet army, our husbands cannot protect
us with hunting guns the army destroys us, making to recognize the
Azerbaijan authority and leave native villages. But they don’t even
let us flee – they fire upon us.” Residents of NKR Shahumian region,
which is at present occupied by Azerbaijan, were banished from their
houses in 1992 after the Azeri managed to seize the region with the
assistance of the bribed Russian generals. You can find addinional
details of the Ring operation and others at