PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has "demonstratively" accumulated tanks near the Nagorno-Karabakh village of Khramort, after intimidating residents for weeks, Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan said.

Grigoryan said she is constant contact with the Ombudsman and the Prosecutor General of Artsakh (Karabakh).

"Yesterday, there were intensive shootings in the direction of Khramort village of Askeran region and Karmir Shuka and Khnushinak villages of Martuni region. During the day, the shootings in the direction of Khramort were accompanied by the criminal acts of exerting psychological pressure against the civilian population, by giving "warnings" in Armenian language over a loudspeaker for the population to leave the village," Grigoryan said.

"This criminal act against the civilian population intensified overnight in the direction of Khramort village, where the Azerbaijani armed forces implemented the use of mortar. One civilian has been wounded. The enemy also demonstratively accumulated heavy equipment (tanks) in the direction of the village. For the purpose of the security of the civilian population, women and children were evacuated overnight to a more secure location, however, according to the information provided by my colleagues, they have returned to the village in the morning."

The Armenian Human Rights Defender condemned the ongoing criminal policy of the Azerbaijani military-political leadership, which she said is aimed at violating the life and security of people living in their homeland, terrorizing them, and causing them constant crisis.

"It is clearly evident that the ultimate goal of such acts is to remove the Armenian communities in Artsakh from their native Armenian population, which is a manifestation of the ongoing policy of Armenophobia and ethnic hatred," the Ombudswoman said.

"On the other hand, the irresponsible behavior of the Azerbaijani state is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Russian peacekeeping mission and undermining the enormous efforts made to ensure the peaceful life of the civilian population."

The Defense Army said earlier that the Azerbaijani military used mortars to fire on civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh throughout the night. In total 23 shells were fired towards the villages of Khnushinak and Khramort since March 9, when ceasefire violations began to intensify.