Message of the Ombudsman to the international community for the prevention of mine terrorism of Armenia

As a result of the explosion of an anti-personnel mine in the liberated Lachin region of Azerbaijan, two more Azerbaijani citizens became victims of mine terrorism. Unfortunately, Elsevar Hamidov, who was engaged in repair and construction works in Suarasi village of the Lachin district, died of severe injuries due to a mine explosion, and Sabuhi Hasanov received various degrees of injuries.

This tragic event once again proves that the unmarked landmines randomly planted by Armenia in the civilian settlements of Azerbaijan pose a serious threat to people's lives and health, and lead to the violation of their fundamental rights.

Despite the fact that we have repeatedly emphasized the vital importance of providing reliable maps of mined areas to the Azerbaijani side without delay, the military and political leadership of Armenia, inspired by impunity, continues to ignore this issue and disregard international law.

Thus, as the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan noted at the Baku International Conference of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions, Armenia is still trying to carry out mining operations through sabotage groups. Also, according to the information provided by ANAMA at that conference, the efficiency of minefield records presented by Armenia was only 2 percent.

Once again we draw attention to the fact that the unmarked mines laid by Armenia in the territory of Azerbaijan in violation of the norms of international humanitarian law cause the death, wounding, or disability of people, and also pose a serious threat to ensuring sustainable peace and security in the region. Thus, we urge the world community to support the elimination of mine contamination of our territories and guarantee the handover of accurate minefield maps to our country.