Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan today posted the following on his Facebook page:

“The fact that Azerbaijani soldiers are throwing stones at civilian cars in Syunik Province affirms the urgent need for a buffer zone

Today the presses widely spread news according to which this morning, at around 4:00-5:00 a.m. Azerbaijani soldiers stationed in the sector of the Davit Bek-Shurnukh villages located on the Kapan-Yerevan interstate road threw stones at a civilian car with an Armenian license plate number.

Right after the news was released, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia launched fact-finding activities through the subdivision of the Office of the Human Rights Defender in Syunik Province. Within the scope of those activities, the study of the incident on the road in-between Davit Bek and Shurnukh villages affirms that Azerbaijani soldiers are stationed right there.

The mayor of Kapan confirmed the news about the incident during a conversation with the Huma Rights Defender and mentioned that the car was a civilian car with passengers and a license plate number of Armenia.

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia particularly records the fact that what happened clearly attests to the fact that there is a real threat posed to the rights of citizens of Armenia that are enshrined by the Constitution and internationally recognized. This concerns the rights of life, physical and mental immunity, property and other rights of vital importance.

The news about this incident clearly substantiate the concept paper of the Human Rights Defender on the fact that there needs to be a buffer zone in Syunik Province in order to guarantee the rights of citizens of Armenia.

There must not be Azerbaijani soldiers, panels and flags on the roads neighboring the villages of Syunik Province and in-between communities.

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia will forward news about this incident to international organizations and will incorporate it in the concept paper on the buffer zone.”