Taguhi Tovmasyan, Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs of the National Assembly, reports:

“Recently, the representative of the Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan, citing a story of a rocket attack on Ganja, announced the criminal prosecution against the President of Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan.

The representative of the Azerbaijani authorities speaks about the missile attacks in case when Azerbaijan, violating the basic principles of refraining from the use or threat of force, unleashed large-scale military aggression against Artsakh, used weapons prohibited by international law, targeted the civilian population and infrastructure of Artsakh.

I draw the attention of my international colleagues to the fact that the representative of the government of the state that imposed war on the peaceful population of Artsakh declares that criminal cases have been filed against the legitimate President of the self-defending state, which pursues a criminal goal of intimidating the population of Artsakh.

The President of the Artsakh Republic is introduced as the “leader of the self-proclaimed regime” in case when on 2 September, 1991 the decision on “Declaration on the Proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic” was adopted, which fully complies with the norms of international law and the USSR legislation.

In separate letters, I appealed to international organizations to condemn this absolutely inadmissible behavior of Azerbaijan towards the institution of the president elected by the people of Artsakh through democratic elections.

Azerbaijan’s criminal activities will continue unless appropriate responsibility mechanisms are implemented.”