Sabina Aliyeva participated in the Meetings of the General Assembly and Board of Directors of the OIC Association of Ombudsmen

The Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, participated in the Meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly of the Association of Ombudsmen of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC OA), held in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

During her speech at the meetings, the Ombudsman noted that Azerbaijan actively participates in activities carried out within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and hosts a number of important global events.

The Ombudsman spoke with satisfaction about the strengthening of relations and increased joint activities between member institutions within the Association last year, and emphasized the importance of continuing work to protect and promote the rights of vulnerable groups of the population, including persons with disabilities.

Sabina Aliyeva, who provided information about the mandate of the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan, its activities in the protection of human rights and freedoms, as well as the institution's activities in the past period, spoke about the work done to protect the rights of vulnerable groups of the population and the good experience gained.

Noting forced migration as one of the important problems of the modern era, Sabina Aliyeva said that as a result of Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from their native lands and became refugees, and their fundamental rights and freedoms were grossly violated. The Ombudsman provided information on the measures taken to protect the rights of these individuals and ensure their return to their native lands.

The Commissioner stated that the mines planted by Armenia in our territories have caused the loss of life and health of people, pose a serious threat to the return of former IDPs to their native lands and their safe living, and that accurate maps of the buried mines have not yet been handed over to our country. The Ombudsman emphasized that she has repeatedly appealed to the international community in this regard and called for practical measures to be taken to resolve this problem, but no results have been achieved to date.

Emphasizing the need to hold awareness-raising events on forced migration within the framework of the OIC OA this year, the Ombudsman stated that these initiatives are of great importance in terms of protecting and promoting human rights.

The events highlighted the importance of increasing cooperation between the ombuds and NHRIs of the Association's Member States, and mutual exchange of views and discussions were held.

The Ombudsman also gave interviews to international media representatives, as well as local media representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and provided detailed information on the measures taken to protect human rights and freedoms in our country.