The fact-finding activities at Verin Shorja village and its pastures prove that the community falls under the line of fire of the Azerbaijani armed forces. They regularly shoot at the direction of the village and the pastures which is inhabited by civilian residents.
Besides the fact that the Azerbaijani armed forces are positioned in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, they are also located in the lands that belong to the residents of Armenia by legal documents; for example, only in this section, the Azerbaijani servicemen are located in an area which encompasses 1200 hectares of pasture, 220 hectares of hayfields, 250 hectares of arable land.
There are objective evidences about these facts.
Theft of livestock (which have not been returned to their owners) by the Azerbaijani armed forces continues to be registered, as well as cases where heads of livestock were killed by Azerbaijani shootings.
Moreover, the lands that are located directly in front of these areas cannot be used, since they fall under the line of fire of Azerbaijani servicemen, who shoot at the residents when they go near.
The residents noted that the Azerbaijani shootings are prevented by the retaliatory shootings of the Armenian Armed Forces, who aim to protect the lives and health of the residents.
Therefore, the Azerbaijani armed forces are violating the rights to life, health, and property of the civilian residents; they are violating their peace and normal life and are depriving them from the opportunity to engage in agricultural work.
The Azerbaijani deployments and their mentioned actions blatantly violate internationally guaranteed human rights and are prohibited by international law.
The results of the visit will be presented to international organizations (UN, CoE, EU, etc.), as well as to the relevant state bodies of Armenia.
Arman Tatoyan The Human Rights Defender of Armenia
