Ombudsman: 1918 massacres of Azerbaijanis should be recognized as genocide

Baku, Azerbaijan, March 29 By Ilkin Izzet – Trend: Each action specified in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis during the March 1918 events, and from the legal point of view, this should be considered as genocide, said the Azerbaijani Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) Elmira Suleymanova. As the Ombudsman’s Office told Trend March 29, Suleymanova made the remarks in her statement issued in connection with the March 31 - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis. In her statement, Suleymanova recalled that the mentioned convention was adopted by the Resolution 260 (III) of the UN General Assembly on Dec. 9, 1948. The ombudsman’s message read that the Azerbaijani people faced severe challenges as a result of the deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing, genocide and deportation of Azerbaijanis that have been carried out in the last two centuries by the Armenian nationalists and their supporters. “The policy of genocide and deportation carried out by the Armenians against Azerbaijanis, eve more intensified in 1918-20,” said Suleymanova. The genocide was committed on March 31, 1918, when hundreds of towns and villages of Azerbaijan were destroyed, as well as 150 Azerbaijani villages in Karabakh were turned into ruins, an unprecedented bloodshed in Shusha was committed. More than 700,000 Azerbaijanis, including 30,000 persons in Baku and in surrounding villages were brutally murdered, mosques and schools were burned. The document said that since 1988, due to Armenian aggression policy against Azerbaijan, 20 percent of territories of the country, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts were occupied; hundred thousands of Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs. The occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts are the integral part of Azerbaijan. Although, the UN Security Council adopted four Resolutions on territorial integrity and unconditional liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Resolution titled "the Situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan" of March 14, 2008, the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a Resolution No. 1416 and a Recommendation No. 1690 confirming the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories by the Armenian armed forces and governing the Nagorno-Karabakh by separatists, Armenia still refuses to fulfill the requirements of these documents. “Moreover, Armenia was recognized as an aggressor country in these resolutions,” the statement said. “According to the resolutions, Armenia must unconditionally withdraw its armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and create the conditions for one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their native lands.” Suleymanova said that the New York State Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly adopted the resolutions in connection with March 31 - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijani people. "We reiterate that human rights were grossly violated during this genocide,” the statement said. “We hope that the world community, international organizations will support the just demands of Azerbaijan that this is a brutal crime committed against humanity. We hope that this genocide will receive an international legal assessment as an act of genocide and criminals will be punished.” “We invite the international organizations to support Azerbaijan's fair position, avoiding double standards,” the statement said. “We believe that justice will prevail soon, the international organizations will apply sanctions against Armenia which committed genocide. We also believe that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan will be restored, the violated rights of refugees and internally displaced persons will be ensured and the hostages will be released. " “Hopefully, all influential international organizations, goodwill people will mobilize their opportunities and make great efforts to restore peace and tranquility on Azerbaijani lands,” the ombudsman added. The appeal was sent to the UN secretary general, UN Security Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Council, European Commission, OSCE, Council of Europe, international and European ombudsman institutes, Asian Ombudsman Association, International Peace Bureau, Universal Peace Federation, ombudsmen of various countries, Azerbaijan’s embassies in other countries and embassies of other countries in Azerbaijan and representative offices of Azerbaijani diaspora organizations. Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency