Ombudsman gave a talk at International Summit in Ankara

The Ombudsperson Ms. Sabina Aliyeva participated in the international summit on “Strengthening the role of NHRIs in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights: new challenges, achievements, and opportunities” held by the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (HREI) between 28-30 June.  

The Azerbaijani Ombudsperson delivered a speech on the first day of the international event, which was attended by the relevant Turkish state agencies, a number of international organizations, and the NHRIs of Germany, Croatia, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Uzbekistan, and Georgia.  

Speaking about the role of NHRIs in the protection and promotion of human rights, S. Aliyeva informed the participants about the experience of Azerbaijan.

The Ombudsperson focused on the current problems emerging while protecting human rights and implementing international norms of human rights at the global level. S. Aliyeva also briefed Armenia’s war crimes committed against Azerbaijan in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, damages caused to flora and fauna of our country during the occupation period, as well as on the destructed, privatized, desecrated and looted historical and cultural heritage belonging to Azerbaijan, referring to statistics. She pointed out the fact of Armenia’s failure in providing the whereabouts of 3890 Azerbaijanis who went missing during the First Karabakh War and 6 others, who went missing in the Second Karabakh War, until today.  

S. Aliyeva expressed her concern about nearly one million landmines, which were buried in the territories of Azerbaijan during the occupation that still pose a great threat, also adding that Armenia’s failure to hand over the accurate minefield maps lead to the killing and injuring of people during the postwar period and delays the return of hundred thousand of IDPs to their homes. It was said about serious damage inflicted upon the environment and people of the entire region by the expired “Metsamor” Nuclear Power Station.   

While talking about the effects of the war, S. Aliyeva spoke on the activity of the Ombudsman Institution to convey the human rights violations to the international community.  

At the end of her speech, the Ombudsperson also, stressed the importance of networking of NHRIs and increasing joint efforts for effective protection and promotion of human rights.