Azerbaijani land-mine victims address open letter to president of PACE

Azerbaijan is one of the most landmine-contaminated countries in the world. The contamination happened due to the Garabagh wars that happened in the 1990s and 2020. In addition, Armenian armed forces invaded 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands and made some of the territories buffer zones by planting thousands of landmines. Despite the territories being liberated in 2020, the Armenian government has not provided a map of the mined territories. Every year, tens of thousands of people either lose their lives or are maimed as a result of landmine explosions. Today, the mine issue is one of the biggest problems facing Azerbaijan. Besides, it is a strict blow to Azerbaijan's economy as well. The country cannot use over 20 percent of its territories which play a great role in agriculture, especially animal husbandry.

As a result of these landmine victims, their family members and Azerbaijani civil society representatives addressed a joint open letter to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Tini Cox.

The letter reads:

"We, the victims of the mine terrorism of Armenia and its military units, their family members, their relatives, and civil society organisations operating in this field, appeal to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Tini Cox, and the PACE deputies with an Open Letter. We consider the refusal of the PACE rapporteur on Azerbaijan, who visited Baku these days, to meet with the victims of Armenia's mine war against Azerbaijan, their family members, and NGOs specialised in the mine problem as a mockery of the values ??of the Council of Europe and disrespect for human rights and freedoms.

We strongly condemn the fact that an organisation like PACE, which calls itself a human rights institution, has become a toy in the hands of some states and circles. The organisation that has such an attitude towards the problem of landmines, which is the biggest problem in Azerbaijan at the moment, is silent about it and does not have the face to meet with landmine victims.

This behaviour of PACE representatives is a disgusting act, directly supporting Armenia's mine terrorism.

It was estimated that there were more than 1 million mines and unexploded military ammunition in the territories liberated from occupation until recently. In 2020, even after the 44-day War, Armenia continued to transport mines along the Lachin road and bury them in the territories of Azerbaijan. We have not forgotten that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, instead of protesting against this, defended the unhindered passage of illegal military units and cargoes from Armenia to the territories of Azerbaijan on the road to Lachin, and the continuation of terrorist activities on the territory of another state. On September 19-20, 2023, as a result of successful anti-terrorist measures, more than 500,000 mines and unexploded ammunition were found in the controlled areas. This means that in the last 3 years, the mining of Azerbaijani territories has not stopped for a single day, on the contrary, it has increased even more. The fact that Armenia is included in the list of mine-producing countries in the international reporting documents related to mines is another proof of this. It is difficult to find a second country in the world as polluted by mines as Azerbaijan. Liz Kristoffersen, whom you just sent to Azerbaijan, was one of the ardent defenders of Armenia's transportation of mines to Azerbaijan via the Lachin road.

Therefore, mine victims are not surprised by this shameful attitude of the Council of Europe and their double standards towards Azerbaijan. In the past period, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe did not even once call on Armenia as a member state to withdraw its military units from the lands of Azerbaijan and hand over mine maps. More than one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons have become victims of Islamophobia, xenophobia, Azerbaijanphobia, lobbying, and corruption networks that took root in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe over the past years, and their human rights and freedoms were ignored by the international organisation based in France.

If you, as the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, will remain silent on this even after our appeal, you should not have the moral right to talk about human rights and freedoms.

Accept us and listen. See how we suffered from Armenia's mine terrorism, what we lost, and what kind of suffering our families and relatives are going through because of our disability. We are also human, we also have rights and desires. If the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, is really a human rights institution, it should be its main duty to hear us and to help us.

Signatures:

1. Ray Gasimov - Chairman of the "Association of Landmine Victims in Azerbaijan" Public Union;

2. Safikhanov Hafiz - Chairman of the "Azerbaijan Campaign Against Landmines" Public Union;

3. Mirzayev Umud - Chairman of the International Eurasia Press Fund;

4. Mammadov Zabil Alastan oghlu, victim of landmine;

5. Mammadzade Vidadi Veli oglu, victim of landmine;

6. Mine victim, Zeynalov Telman Babir oghlu;

7. Family members of Ahmedov Yasin Alasgar oghlu - Ahmadov Alasgar Aziz oglu who died as a result of a mine explosion

8. Ahmadov Asif Alasgar oghlu, a mine victim;

9. Mine victim, Khudiyev Asef Mursal oghlu;

10. Mine victim, Babayev Ramil Nazim oghlu;

11. Yagubov Elshan Yagub oglu, a family member of Yagubov Fakhraddin Yagub oglu, who died as a result of the mine incident;

12. Kahramanov Muhammed Khalil oglu, a family member of Uzeyir Khalil Kahramanov, who was killed as a result of a mine incident;

13. Hajiyeva Shabnam Shakir gizi, a family member of Hajiyev Shakir Maharram oghlu, who died as a result of a mine incident;

14. Gadimzade Tural Firuddin oghlu, a family member of Hajiyev Firuddin Maharram oghlu, who was killed as a result of a mine incident;

15. Huseynov Adishirin Zulfugar oghlu, a family member of Huseynov Zulfugar Adishirin oghlu, who was killed as a result of a mine incident;

16. Safarov Samir Maharram oghlu, a family member of Adilzadeh Zibeyda Shakir, who died as a result of a mine incident;

17. Ahmadov Togrul Vilayat oglu, victim of a mine;

18. Ahmedov Orkhan Kamil oghlu, a mine victim;

19. Babayev Fadakar Gabil oghlu, a family member of Babayev Zabil Gabil oghlu, who was killed as a result of a mine incident;

20. Alakbarov Elgun Mahmud oglu, a mine victim;

21. Mirzayev Elmeddin Tofig oghlu, a mine victim;

22. Imanov Azad Telman oghlu, a family member of Imanov Bahruz Telman oghlu, who died as a result of a mine incident;

23. Mine victim Mukhtarov Azad Ayd?n oghlu;

24. Guliyev Shahin Allahverdi, a family member of Guliyev Mehman Allahverdi oghlu, who died as a result of a mine incident;

25. Alasgarov Shaig Mustaqim, a family member of Alasgarov Mustaqim Allahveran oghlu, who died as a result of a mine explosion;

26. Mine victim Verdiyev Niyamaddin Hikmat oglu;

27. Azimzadeh Hafiz Salim oglu, a mine victim;

28. The father of Huseynov Bayram and Huseynov Razin, who were killed as a result of the mine incident, as well as the injured Huseynov Anar, the son of Huseynov Akif Mukhtar, who was a victim of the mine;

29. Mammadov Emin Hasan oglu, a mine victim;

30. Mine victim Guliyev Arif Sabir oglu;

31. Samadov Shirzad Abish oghlu, a family member of Abishov Siraj Abish oghlu, who died as a result of a mine incident;

32. Ibrahimov Asgar Ali oghlu, a family member of Ibrahimov Maharram Ali oghlu, who died as a result of a mine incident;

33. Mine victim Aslanov Khanlar Fazil oghlu;

34. Hamidov Faig Sovet oglu, a family member of Hamidov Elsavar Sovet oglu, who died as a result of the landmine incident;

35. Abilov Mahir Ramiz oghlu, a mine victim;

36. Gandiyev Firuddin Ismayil oglu, a family member of Gandiyev Vusal Firuddin oghlu, who was killed as a result of a mine incident;

37. Mine victim Valiyev Ruhin Sultan oglu;

38. Mine victim Jabbarov Nijat Novruz oghlu;

39. Panahov Rodik Shamseddin oglu, a mine victim;

40. Mine victim Aliyarov Sadir Heydar oglu;

41. Askerov Elnur Asif oglu, a mine victim;

42. Alishov Nasib Oktay, a family member of Alishov Oktay Bayram oghlu, who died as a result of a mine incident;

43. Mahmudov Shahriyar Mahmud oghlu, a family member of Mahmudov Bakhtiyar Mahmud oghlu, who was killed as a result of the mine incident;

44. Mine victim Gurbanov Abdulla Novruz oghlu;

45. Mine victim Novruzov Ruhin Aladdin oglu;

46. ??Daughter of Jafarova Tamam Aslan, a mine victim;

47. Mine victim Babashov Khazar Tariyel oglu;

48. Gurbanov Abdulla Novruz oghlu, a mine victim;

49. Mine victim Alasgarov Abdulla Hamid oglu;

50. Askerov Masim Hasan oglu, a mine victim;

51. Mine victim Aliyev Sahib Isa oglu;

52. Sadikhov Eldar Sabirovich, a family member of mine victim Sadikhov Samir Sabirovich;

53. Family member of mine victim Guliyev Farhad Huseynaga oghlu Guliyev Famil Huseynaga oghlu;

54. Mine victim Hasanov Zamaddin Qalandar oghlu;

55. Abilov Amil Ilyas oghlu, family member of mine victim Abilov Famil Ilyas oghlu

56. Nuraliyev Ahmadaga Khanbala, a family member of mine victim Nuraliyev Elchin Khanbala;

57. Mine victim Agalarov Ali Alibaba oghlu;

58. Huseynov Vusal Asif oghlu, family member of mine victim Huseynov Asif Novruz oghlu.