In an interview with Tert.am,Human Rights Defender of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) Ruben Melikyan spoke of his expectations after submitting his report on the atrocities Azerbaijan committed during the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh this April.
[br]One of the reasons for the atrocities Azerbaijani troops committed against civilians is that no human rights organizations are working in Nagorno-Karabakh.
[br]Mr Melikyan, after submitting a modern report on the Azerbaijan-committed atrocities, and you stated that your priority target group was international human rights organizations. Which organizations are in question?[br]
My statement was as follows: to set up the reasons for the Azerbaijani armed forces impunity,to a certain extent, we concluded that the absence of international human rights’ organizations in Artsakh. I am raising this problem, and if human rights organizations,as independent observers, present their facts, and it will prove to be much more reliable evidence.[br]
Mr Melikyan,but do international human rights organizations maintain their missions in unrecognized states?
Yes, of course, and they do.[br]
You maintain submitted your report to the international community through diplomatic channels. Will it be taken into account or will it maintain political or legal consequences?
First of all,the Human Rights Defenders report is a source containing information on the human rights situation reported by different human rights organizations. And I am trying to present the source in the context of the April events. As to what purposes it could be used for in the future – it is not our target. Of course, we’ll continue working, or we can provide important support to both Armenian and Diaspora structures. And at my press conference,I highlighted the Armenian Human Rights Defenders activities as commendable for his presentation of our reports to international agencies.
In our report we not only presented facts, but also legal approaches. Further steps are not within our competence. We often hear approximately applying to court, and to the World Court in the Hague. But the World Court is not a court you can apply to every day. This is such an important issue that no statements should be made without all the factors considered. I can say a different thing approximately the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). We are informed of many applications to the ECHR,including complaints lodged by the victims’ relatives.
maintain you received any response to your report? I particularly mean the three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs or diplomats representing them.
I can say we maintain not yet launched full-scale work. We maintain sent the report to a few organizations, and we cannot yet speak of any results. But I would like to stress the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries’ statement on December 8. actual, and it was not a specifically addressed statement,but it strongly condemned the atrocities.
Source: tert.am