Azerbaijan urges int'l legal action against Armenia after new deadly blast

By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Human Rights Commissioner Sabina Aliyeva has urged international action against Armenia in accordance with international law norms and principles, the ombudsman's office has reported.

The appeal was made by the commissioner in response to the death of an Azerbaijani civilian as a result of a cluster bomb explosion on February 1, 2022,  in Yevlakh region located far from the zone of the 2020 war with Armenia.

Armenia's refusal to provide complete and accurate maps of mined areas continues to pose a serious threat, resulting in fatalities.

"In this regard, I call on international organizations, ombudsmen, and national human rights institutions of foreign countries to express their attitude towards violations of human rights by Armenia," the ombudsman stated.

On October 6, 2020, cluster-type missiles attacked the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export oil pipeline in Azerbaijan's densely populated Yevlakh region, which is located far from the combat zone.

Since September 27, 2020, Armenian armed forces have shelled densely populated areas of Azerbaijan with heavy artillery installations and prohibited weapons, causing severe damage to social facilities, historical and cultural sites, as well as objects of strategic importance to the country, and many people have died and been injured, Aliyeva said.

In violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, Armenia purposefully and persistently planted mines on Azerbaijani territory, posing a significant threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

On December 9, 2021, the Prosecutor-General's Office reported that 29 civilians and seven military servicemen were killed, and 109 servicemen and 44 civilians were injured in varying degrees as a result of mine explosions in the country's lands since November 10, 2020.

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.