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Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan writes that private houses in Armenia's Vorotan village of Syunik province are under constant monitoring of Azerbaijani cameras. "This not only violates the right of the residents to live in peace and security, but also their rights to private and family life; the Azerbaijani servicemen are collecting the personal data of people without any legal basis," Tatoyan wrote. 

The Ombudsman cites the residents of the house, saying the Azerbaijani armed servicemen regularly turn the cameras in the direction of their house to monitor it. The Azerbaijani servicemen do this especially when they see that there is more movement in the house than usual (for example, if they have guests). It is evident that in addition to the yard, everything that happens in the house is monitored.

"During my last visit to Syunik province, I was convinced of this fact on site. when we were in this house with the staff of the Office of the Defender, we saw ourselves how the Azerbaijani servicemen pointed the cameras in our direction at the moment they saw us. Moreover, the house where the Azerbaijani armed servicemen are positioned, and are conducting the monitoring of the house we visited, belongs to an Armenian citizen based on cadastral documents (we have already published this fact) In other words, the house owned by an Armenian citizen was occupied through criminal acts. Moreover, this is the segment of the Goris-Kapan road where the Azerbaijani armed servicemen have established a border and customs control, which lacks any legal basis," said the Ombudsman. 

He added that Azerbaijani armed servicemen, including those of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani police, are always present in front of the house. According to the citizens, there are in total around 15-200 servicemen. Moreover, all these servicemen are armed, and most of them are masked. They stand demonstratively on the road or in the direction of the civilian houses, in order to be particularly visible to the civilian residents.

"We had published that there were at least 10 cameras on this segment of the Goris-Kapan road, which monitor the movement of civilians, disrupt their private and family lives of people, and collect personal data through criminal acts. These acts of the Azerbaijani armed servicemen prove that their presence has disrupted the normal life of the Armenian civilian population, caused mass violations of human rights, and violated the right to live in safety and peace. Therefore, to restore civilians' rights and normal lives, they should not be positioned in the vicinity of our villages, and on the roads connecting Armenian communities. This fact has been studied by the Office of the Human Rights Defender as well, and will be included in the collected evidence confirming the unlawful acts of the Azerbaijani armed servicemen, for the purpose of sending it to the relevant international organizations," concluded the Ombudsman.