Western Azerbaijan Community condemns crime against Azerbaijani flag

Just one day after the footage of the torture of an Azerbaijani soldier in Armenia was published, another act of hatred against Azerbaijan was committed in this country, the Western Azerbaijan Community said in a statement.

"At the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan, Armenia, which was broadcast live, an employee of the Armenian Public Television, a well-known designer in this country who participated in the organization of this championship, defiantly burned the flag of Azerbaijan.

The community strongly condemns the crime against the flag of Azerbaijan and demands that the Armenian government immediately stop the policies and practices inculcating hatred and discrimination against Azerbaijanis, hand over the perpetrators of crimes against Azerbaijanis to justice and immediately stop glorifying them.

Despite the fact that disrespect for the state symbols of a foreign country is a crime in the legislation of Armenia, the police released this man, who committed a crime in front of the international community, on the same day. The most terrible thing is that the burning of the Azerbaijani flag on the stage was accompanied by applause from the audience, and the man released by the police was greeted as a hero by a large crowd, including members of the parliament of this country," the statement said.

All this is an indicator of the state-supported and systematically pursued policy of ethnic hatred towards Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanophobia in Armenia. Those organizing such acts of public hatred in Armenia seek to further deepen the discord between the nations and prevent the return of Azerbaijanis there, creating an atmosphere of fear.

The insufficient response of the international community to crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by Armenia creates conditions for the strengthening of racially discriminatory policies and xenophobic tendencies in society in this country. Thereby, we call upon the international community to give a rational assessment of Armenia's crimes against humanity, such as ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination.

The community strongly condemns the crime against the Azerbaijani flag and demands that the Armenian government immediately should stop the policies and practices instilling hatred and discrimination against Azerbaijanis, hand over the perpetrators of crimes against Azerbaijanis to justice and at once stop glorifying them.

This whole thing once again highlights the need for agreements containing appropriate verification mechanisms, legal guarantees and security for our return to Armenia," the statement reads.