Press Statement on the letter of protest by the Ombudsman to the UNICEF Executive Director

It was observed that the UNICEF Statement of October 28, 2020, on one month of fighting in and beyond Nagorno-Karabakh was based on double standards by hiding the truth about the children killed.

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva made a resolute protest against deliberately failing to mention the number, surnames and the settlements of Azerbaijan where those children were killed and addressed a letter to the Executive Director of the UNICEF, Ms. Henrietta H. Fore in this regard.

The Ombudsman noted that those children were killed as a result of missile attacks by Armenia from its territory on the civilian settlements of Azerbaijan far beyond the conflict zone. Not indicating these facts in the Statement lets us come to a conclusion that the UNICEF didn't draft the statement impartially. We consider that the UNICEF should not  ink the child casualties with the battle zone.

Up to date 90 persons, including 11 children, have been killed in Azerbaijan as a result of Armenian armed forces’ intensive firing of the civilian settlements located on and far beyond the frontline in blatant violation of the international law norms. The number of the wounded is 395 and 48 of them are children.

It means turning a blind eye to the acts of terrorism against the civilian population by Armenia and paving a way for Armenia’s blatant violation of the norms and principles of international law, including the Geneva Conventions and the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In the letter, the Ombudsman also referred to four interim Reports, seven Statements and two Appeals where she had urged the international community to call on Armenia to stop shelling the civilian settlements and follow the norms and principles of international law. 

Based on the above-mentioned, the Ombudsman had called the UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia to react to the human loss, as well as child casualties caused by Armenian military aggression against Azerbaijan and suggested conducting a joint fact-finding mission,  but the UNICEF has not yet conducted any on-site monitoring.

Taking into account the above-noted, the Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva protests against the UNICEF Statement dated October 28, 2020, on one month of fighting in and beyond Nagorno-Karabakh and urges the UNICEF to take a clear position to prevent the war crimes of Armenia and to ensure the best interests of children standing by justice.