The Chief of Ombudsman Office spoke at the OSCE Human Rights Dimension Conference VIII plenary session

The Chief of Office of the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan, Mr. Aydın Safikhanli, took part in the OSCE Human Rights Dimension Conference (HRDC) VIII plenary session on tolerance and non-discrimination.

Chief of the Office, in his speech, said that Azerbaijan, as a multinational state, supports the principle of unity in diversity so far, adding that in the centuries of history of Azerbaijan, there was no single instance of intolerance or discrimination on the ethnic, religious, language, and cultural grounds.   

A. Safikhanli also highlighted that Azerbaijanis, who had been living in the present territories of Armenia, had been subjected to numerous deportations and persecutions at different times of the past century, stating that their tangible and intangible cultural heritage has been totally destroyed. He emphasized that 250 000 Azerbaijanis had been forcibly displaced from their ancestral homes located in the current Armenia until 1991.   

It was stated that one of the main reasons of international crimes committed by Armenia is the formation of ethnic hatred against Azerbaijanis by the state. The forced deportation of the Azerbaijani population from Armenia is led to the infringement of the principle of equality in violation of international human rights conventions and agreements.  

Briefing the amendments made to the Constitutional Law on the Ombudsman, A. Safikhanli underlined that the Ombudsman’s mandate was expanded related to safeguarding the right to equality, prevention of discrimination, and other areas. Such an expansion of the mandate aims to improve the activities and increase the effectiveness of the work in the field of protection of human rights and freedoms.