Azerbaijani community activists hold rally in front of headquarters of Human Rights Watch in New York

By Trend

Azerbaijani community activists living in the US held a peaceful protest in front of the headquarters of the Human Rights Watch international human rights organization in New York, Trend reports via State Committee on Work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan.

The event, organized by the Azerbaijani-American Women's Society jointly with the Cultural Society of New York - Azerbaijan with the participation of Azerbaijani and Turkish communities, was held in front of the Empire State Building, where the international organization is located.

A statement of protest against Armenia's war crimes, recent military provocations committed by Armenia on the state border of Azerbaijan, attacks of Armenian radical forces on Azerbaijani embassies in the US, France and Lebanon was handed personally to Facilities Manager of Human Rights Watch Gil Colon. The rally where the national flags of Azerbaijan, Türkiye and the US were waved drew attention to the monstrous war crimes committed by the Armenian armed forces during the 30-year occupation and the Second Karabakh War.

During the rally, which demanded an end to Armenian war crimes, pictures of the atrocities in Ganja and Barda, a mass grave found in Adilli village of Khojavand district, posters with the slogans 'Azerbaijan wants peace, Armenia wants war!' 'Stop the Armenian aggression!', 'Stop the Armenian terror!', 'Stop the attacks on civilians!', 'Ganja has been attacked!', 'Armenia, provide Azerbaijan with information about the fate of missing people!' and others were demonstrated.

As a result of the strikes from September 27 through November 10, 2020 by heavy artillery, ballistic missiles, phosphorus and cluster bombs on Ganja, Naftalan, Barda, Tartar, Mingachevir and other Azerbaijani cities located within tens of kilometers from the conflict zone and front line, 93 civilians, including 12 children and 27 women were killed and 454 people received injuries of various degrees.

Local residents who showed interest in the action were given booklets reflecting Armenia's war crimes. The officers of the 14th Division of the New York City Police protected the participants of the event. Azerbaijanis demanded that Human Rights Watch respond to the protest statement of the Azerbaijani community.