In the recent days Azerbaijan has started targeting the international partners of the “Gate to Heaven” film by filmmaker Jivan Avetisyan, putting public and private pressure on them in order to make them stop participating in the filmmaking process and visiting Artsakh, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), Artak Beglaryan, has noted in a statement.

As per the statement, in particular, certain pressures have been recorded over Lithuanian producer Kestutis Drazdauskas, violating his freedom of movement, right to private life, and other rights.

With such steps Azerbaijan aims at continuing the policy of international isolation of Artsakh, limiting the possibilities of realizing many indivisible rights of Artsakh people, including cultural rights.

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh condemns the anti-Armenian hatred policy of Azerbaijan, which is applied also towards the foreigners collaborating with Armenians. This policy considerably violates the norms of international human rights law and the international commitments of Azerbaijan.