An illegal checkpoint, installed by Azerbaijan, on the Lachin Corridor
Azerbaijanis manning the illegal checkpoint at the Lachin Corridor barred two women and a child from entering Artsakh, the country’s Human Rights Defender said in a social media post, explaining that the three Armenian citizens had resided in Artsakh and were in Armenia to receive treatment.
“These individuals went to the Republic of Armenia to receive treatment during the blockade, and now, after resolving their health issues, they cannot return to their homes,” the Artsakh Human Rights Defender’s office said in the post. “It is worth noting that the Azerbaijani side allowed their exit from Artsakh, arbitrarily and illegally prohibiting their entry.”
“As a result of the harassment by Azerbaijan, the rights of these individuals were violated not only to move freely, but also to reunite with their families,” the rights defender’s office said in an statement.
The Human Rights Defender emphasized that the checkpoint illegally installed by Azerbaijan on the Hakari bridge in Lachin Corridor from April 23 and other measures hindering the free movement of people, vehicles and goods on that road violate not only well-known international norms of human rights, “but also the provisions of the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, in particular, point 6, which envisages the safe and uninterrupted movement of people, vehicles and cargo through the Lachin Corridor.”
“Azerbaijan is trying to mislead the international community with various propaganda videos, showing that the corridor is not blocked and the free movement of people is ensured,” the statement said.
“The existence of such a checkpoint, the use of passport, cargo and other types of control measures by Azerbaijan already mean obstacles to uninterrupted movement, causing significant risks not only of security, but also bearing the risk for other arbitrary disruptive measures at any given time,” the human rights defender emphasized, adding that this latest breach is yet another sign of Azerbaijan’s efforts to ethnically cleanse Artsakh of its Armenian population.