President Ilham Aliyev attends opening of Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s house-museum in Shusha [VIDEO] AzerNews.Az
Month: September 2024
Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of “Azerbaijan Railways” CJSC (ADY), met with Ufuk Yalcin, CEO of TCDD Transportation and Chairman of the Board of Turkish State Railways, during the consultation meeting of railway administration heads in Baku on the establishment of the “Eurasian Transport Route” International Association, Azernews reports.
Anniversary of the anti-terror operation in Karabakh
Exactly one year ago, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan’s armed forces launched an anti-terror operation in Karabakh. Within a day, the authorities of the self-proclaimed and unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) announced their surrender, and Azerbaijan restored sovereignty over all of its internationally recognized territory.
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What happened?
Following the Second Karabakh War, which resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control over most of Karabakh and surrounding areas that had been under Armenian military occupation since the early 1990s, several areas remained outside Baku’s control, including Khankendi, parts of Khojavend, Khojaly, and Tartar districts. Russian peacekeeping forces were deployed in these regions.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement:
“In order to uphold the provisions of the trilateral statement, prevent large-scale provocations in the Karabakh economic region, disarm and withdraw Armenian armed formations from our territories, neutralize their military infrastructure, ensure the safety of the civilian population returning to liberated territories, civilian personnel involved in construction and restoration work, and our military personnel, as well as to restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, localized anti-terrorist measures have been initiated in the region.
These measures involve the use of precision weapons to disable Armenian armed formations’ positions, their long-term firing points, as well as combat means and military objectives.”
Less than a day later, the authorities of the unrecognized NKR published a document stating that the self-proclaimed regime in Khankendi had declared the surrender of arms, the disbandment of the armed forces, and the dissolution of the unrecognized republic effective January 1, 2024.
Anniversary of the anti-terror operation in Karabakh
Expert opinion
Political commentator Haji Namazov discussed the reasons for and results of Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh with the Azerbaijani JAMnews.
“Regarding the reasons for the anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh, it’s important to note several meetings between representatives of official Baku and the separatist regime in Khankendi since early 2023. Initially, the meetings took place in Khojaly, with negotiations held at the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s headquarters in March last year. Later, the Karabakh Armenian representatives were invited to continue the meetings in Baku. The location was subsequently changed to Yevlakh and Bard, situated close to the peacekeepers’ zone.
Simultaneously, in April 2023, Azerbaijan established a border checkpoint over the Hakari River in the Lachin district, making illegal arms transfers from Armenia to Khankendi nearly impossible. The circle was tightening.
Let’s be honest: no country in the world will indefinitely tolerate the presence of a self-proclaimed and armed regime on its territory, independent from the central government. Thus, the complete restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over all of Karabakh was only a matter of time.
As for the statements from Armenia and various Western circles about Azerbaijan’s ‘aggression’ in Karabakh, they are utterly unfounded. A state cannot attack its own territory, much less seize it. It’s absurd.
Immediately following the anti-terrorist operation, official Baku called on Karabakh Armenians to apply for Azerbaijani citizenship through a specially created reintegration website. This appeal was broadcast via regional radio stations in several languages, including Armenian, and leaflets with similar content were distributed. During that period, there were no recorded incidents of misconduct by Azerbaijani military personnel or law enforcement towards Armenians and other nationalities residing in Karabakh.”
Anniversary of the anti-terror operation in Karabakh
However, succumbing to calls from Armenia and the ousted authorities in Khankendi, the Armenian population of Karabakh chose to leave. With only a few dozen exceptions, Armenians left the region en masse. This happened in full view of the world, with numerous video and photo materials from those days clearly showing that the Armenians of Karabakh were not being forced out or coerced to leave their homes. Armenians voluntarily crossed the border through the checkpoint in the Lachin district and settled in Armenia.
Everyone probably remembers the Karabakh Armenian who brought his flock of sheep to Armenia. There is video footage documenting this. Who would be concerned about a flock of sheep when they are being forced to leave their home at gunpoint? Did you see Azerbaijanis expelled from Karabakh in the early 90s who managed to save and transport their livestock during those dark days? No one did.
What happened, happened. But even now, Karabakh Armenians can return to their homes at any moment, if they wish. Naturally, under the same conditions that were offered to them in September 2023. There will never be anything else, and there cannot be. It’s simply a matter of accepting this and living in good neighborliness, as it was 40 years ago.
Anniversary of the anti-terror operation in Karabakh
#Armenia is ready to open transport communications based on the principles of sovereignty & jurisdiction, as well as reciprocity and equality.https://t.co/wwGxc8DIED
— Nikol Pashinyan (@NikolPashinyan) September 19, 2024
The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), a local human rights watchdog, has submitted a written opinion to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the case of the administrative detention of a Georgian citizen during the March 2023 protests against the Foreign Agents Law, the GYLA reported on September 19. In the statement, the watchdog also speaks about the general controversies over administrative detentions by law enforcement agencies during protests and the rulings of local courts.
The ECHR is currently considering the case that reflects a broader pattern seen in many similar instances. Citizens are often detained by the police during protests under two common administrative charges: Article 166 for petty hooliganism and Article 173 for disobeying lawful police orders. This pattern was particularly evident during this year’s massive protests against the Foreign Agents Law.
In the case for which GYLA submitted a written opinion to the ECHR, a citizen was detained under Articles 166 and 173 while recording a video of law enforcement officers using physical force against another person and asking them to stop. According to GYLA, the only witness from the police claimed that the citizen was detained because he refused to move out of the way. However, GYLA asserts that the citizen was actually standing on the sidewalk. The plaintiff was detained for 35 hours, with the detention extended without a clear explanation. Neither the judge of the Tbilisi City Court nor another judge of the Court of Appeals considered this detail. The person was found guilty and fined GEL 2000 (about USD 745).
For many years, the GYLA has been highlighting the “malicious practice of administrative detention” and the problems with the Code of Administrative Offences, which is used to restrict the realization of freedom of assembly and expression in the country.
The GYLA highlights that local court rulings in such cases are “patterned” and do not address the specific circumstances of each case. The watchdog notes that the decisions are largely “identical,” with only the names of the individuals changing. It also points out that controversial administrative detentions have been a longstanding issue.
In its written position on the specific case, the GYLA raises several points:
- The evidence presented by the government is contradictory and the defendant failed to present neutral evidence either at the national or international level
- The disruption of the rally was not lawful, did not serve a legitimate purpose, and did not meet the standard of necessity. In addition, the government presented, as evidence, television reports from a completely different day, along with contradictory evidence, thereby failing to meet the burden of proof and making it clear that there is no evidence against the appellant;
- The reason for the detention was that the detainee had recorded the video of the official misconduct.
Also Read:
- 02/08/2024 – Amendments to Criminal Code’s Article 187: Government’s Tool to Punish its Opponents
- 21/07/2024 – Random Police Checks Surge Amid Allegations of Official Misconduct
- 01/05/2024 – CSOs: Physical Force Used Against Protesters Amounted to Torture
- 01/05/2024 – MIA: 63 People Arrested During Rally Against Agents Law
- 23/04/2024 – SJC: Court’s Decision to Sentence Peaceful Protestors Unjustified
- 02/08/2023 – CSOs: Illegal Administrative Detentions are Repressive Instrument Used by the Police