Your trusted source

Armenian opposition MP Taguhi Tovmasyan, the chair of the parliament committee on human rights and public affairs, is preparing urgent letters to international organizations over Azerbaijan’s move terrorizing Armenian children.

A group of Azerbaijani agents wearing masks terrorized 19 children travelling back to Artsakh on Tuesday, more than one month after being stranded in Armenia due to the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor, Artsakh’s sole land link with Armenia.

“19 children were subjected to psychological and emotional violence by Azerbaijan for being Armenians, one of them lost consciousness. I am preparing urgent letters to competent international institutions,” Tovmasyan said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Azerbaijan doesn’t lay any single limit in ethnic hatred towards Armenians: they have persecuted even minor children who, accompanied by peacekeepers, returned to Artsakh to their parents in the conditions of more than a month later-long blockade of the only Artsakh-Armenia-world road by Azerbaijan," she stressed.

The car carrying them was being escorted by Russian peacekeeping troops and was stopped by Azerbaijanis in the Shushi-Karin Tak section of the Goris-Stepanakert road, where Azerbaijani government agents claiming to be environmental activists and the journalists serving them are stationed. A group of 10 to 15 masked Azerbaijanis with cameras and in civilian clothes approached the car, some of them broke into the vehicle and filmed the children in the car.

The provocative actions of the Azerbaijanis caused a commotion in the car and one of the children fainted as a result. The Azerbaijanis were removed from the car by Russian peacekeepers and the vehicle continued its journey.

“The criminal activity of the Azerbaijanis was not limited to the mentioned extent: since the bus continued its journey, the Azerbaijanis also defiantly threatened the Armenian children," the MP said.

“With such an impudent behavior the agents of the Azerbaijani government have violated the key provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which should be a subject of urgent investigation by the competent international institutions and concrete actions of punishment against Azerbaijan.

“With the mentioned criminal action Azerbaijan made one more step toward the implementation of the genocidal policy against ethnic Armenians. Amid silence of the civilized world, the crimes by Azerbaijan against the humanity will be further seen,” reads the statement.