Armenia’s former Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan has submitted an alternative report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) regarding Azerbaijan's policy of Armenophobia and has made recommendations for investigation.

“The report submitted to the UN committee shows that the policy of Armenophobia and hatred towards Armenians based on their religion and ethnicity has actually been pursued in Azerbaijan for years,” Tatoyan said on Facebook.

“The Azerbaijani authorities continue to incite hatred towards the people of Armenia and Artsakh through official statements, making threats and insulting comments,” he said, adding Armenian women and children often become targets of hate speech in Azerbaijan.

“I have urged the UN Committee to:

1. Investigate and reveal racial hatred and enmity spread against Armenians by Azerbaijani authorities, including senior officials, cultural and other public figures, and to hold those responsible to account.

2. Investigate hate crimes committed by the Azerbaijani military in September-November 2020, during the April 2016 war and other Azerbaijani armed attacks

3. Condemn and take measures to effectively prevent Armenophobia and racial discrimination against Armenians in Azerbaijan, ensuring the return of all Armenian captives illegally held in Azerbaijan," Tatoyan said.