Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev raised his country’s flag over the town of Khojaly. In February 1992 the Azerbaijani residents of Khojaly were subjected to one of the most horrific massacres of the First Karabakh war. This evokes a sense of justice demanded for 30 years for the 613 innocent victims of the Khojaly massacre. This sense is strengthened now when the former war-lords, who had run the illegal regime in Karabakh and who have been presumably involved in a number of war crimes such as massacre in Khojaly await their hour of justice behind bars in Baku.
However true reconciliation to come to these war-torn lands requires justice and restoration of human rights for all. Now when the legal «gray zone» have been eliminated in Karabakh it is very important that we do not forget the rights of the Armenian population, which have been violated in the “gray zone” of Karabakh for all the years the illegal regime existed. Therefore, during the trial of these former war-lords Azerbaijan should ensure also the disclosure of violations of the rights of the Armenian population of Karabakh by the illegal regime.
On our part “Karabakh Human Rights Awareness Campaign” launched last year to raise international awareness on human rights abuses in Karabakh is back with monitoring this process, revelation of human rights violation Karabakh Armenians experienced under the «gray zone» regime and ensuring restoration of their rights. Our objective is justice and true reconciliation of communities but also helping those Armenians who might wish to return to Karabakh to live in dignity with ensured security of their fundamental human rights.
It is protection of human rights not political manipulations with the fate of this people is the only way to just and sustainable peace in the region.
#KarabakhHumanRights #Khojaly #Justiceforall #Karabakh
