Azerbaijani soldiers have become so unrestrained that they deliberately set on fire 8,000 ha of grass of a resident of Yeraskh village with gunshots, destroying all the stocks that the citizen had worked hard to gather all year to feed his cattle during the winter. This is stated in the statement that Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan issued today.

“Yeraskh village of Ararat Province of Armenia is shelled by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from time to time, in the afternoon and at night.

It was shelled again today in the afternoon as well.

Azerbaijani soldiers have become so unrestrained that they deliberately set on fire 8,000 ha of grass of a resident of Yeraskh village with gunshots, destroying all the stocks that the citizen had worked hard to gather all year to feed his cattle during the winter.

Moreover, the fire spread and set the roof of the citizen’s barn on fire. It was possible to put out the fire and make sure it didn’t burn the other part of the roof only when firefighters arrived at the scene on time.

 These data were verified and confirmed through alerts sent to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, objective evidence and data verified through several sources. The Ministry of Defense of Armenia also confirmed the gunshots fired by Azerbaijan at the military posts of the Armed Forces protecting Yeraskh village and the population.

Taking into consideration the fact that the Azerbaijani military posts are located directly next to the village, it is clear for the Azerbaijani soldiers that they are causing damage to villagers, destroying their properties, violating their right to life and right of ownership and undermining peace and security.

It is necessary to immediately start the process of creating a demilitarized buffer zone around the borders of Armenia with Azerbaijan and immediately removing Azerbaijani armed officers from the area near Armenia’s villages and the roads in-between villages.

This proposal of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has already been included in a specific international document, that is, the Resolution 2391 (2021) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of September 27, 2021. The Human Rights Defender will also send relevant reports to international organizations and Armenia’s state bodies and civil society organizations.

It is clear that the basis for these criminal encroachments and gross violations of human rights and the source is the Azerbaijani authorities’ Armenophobic, hostile and genocidal policy of ethnic cleansing. This policy has institutional grounds, and the violations won’t be eliminated and the people’s security won’t be ensured so long as the perpetrators of the crime haven’t been punished,” Tatoyan wrote.