The Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Armenia specifically states that the actions of the Azerbaijani servicemen are a criminal encroachment on an RA border resident. Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has noted this in a statement, which reads as follows, in particular:

The criminal encroachment of shoving and hitting the shepherd of Aravus [village] by the Azerbaijani soldiers confirms the urgent need for a security zone around Syunik [Province].

Immediately after this information, the RA Human Rights Defender immediately initiated fact-finding work with the involvement of the Syunik subdivision of the Defender's Office.

The shepherd who submitted an alarm to the staff of the RA Human Rights Defender informed that on April 18, 2021, he grazed 14 large and small cattle on a pasture about 500 meters from his house. Between 5 and 6 pm, when the shepherd was in the area about 50 meters from the position occupied by Azerbaijan in the area toward the village of Aravus, three Azerbaijani armed servicemen approached him.

According to the shepherd, the Azerbaijani servicemen first threatened him with the showing of a weapon, and then two of them shoved and tried to force him to move to the trench in the direction of the occupied Azerbaijani position. During all this time, the Azerbaijani military constantly cursed at and threatened the shepherd.

Then, when they saw that the serviceman of the RA Armed Forces were rushing to the aid of the shepherd, a third of the Azerbaijani servicemen hit the shepherd in the eye, causing a bruise, and immediately left for their occupied position.

During the fact-finding work of the Human Rights Defender's Office, it was found out that the Azerbaijani military shouted curses at the same shepherd at the same area of the village of Aravus also on April 20 at around 7 pm, and threatened him with an open showing of firearm.

The staff of the RA Human Rights Defender also recorded the alarm of the head of Aravus village about the incident in the media.

The shepherd's family members, as well as the villagers who rushed to the shepherd's aid, also informed the RA ombudsman's office that they had also heard shouts from the Azerbaijani military, including that the Azerbaijanis had moved from their occupied position toward the shepherd.

The head of the village of Aravus informed the Human Rights Defender's Office that the houses of a number of villagers were even less than 500 meters away from the Azerbaijani positions (for example, 100 or 200 meters). This fact was also recorded by the investigations of the Human Rights Defender's Office in that place.

The RA Human Rights Defender specifically states that the actions of the Azerbaijani servicemen are a criminal encroachment on an RA border resident. What has happened clearly confirms the gross violations of the RA citizens rights, which are guaranteed by the Constitution and internationally. It is about human lives, physical and mental immunity, property and other vital rights, and in the case of the right to life, the real risk of violation.

These incidents clearly substantiate the proposal of the RA Human Rights Defender that in order to guarantee the rights of the RA citizens, a security zone should be created urgently around Syunik province.

There should be no Azerbaijani military, signs and flags on the roads near the villages of Syunik province and on the roads uniting the communities.

The RA Human Rights Defender will send the information about this incident separately to the relevant international structures, as well as will include [it] in the security zone concept.