Mher Hayrapetyan was forcibly displaced from occupied Artsakh. He now lives in Nor Hachn and says that when he first arrived, he spent the night in a church yard. Now he lives in a rented dormitory building where there are several household issues.
As part of Iravaban.net‘s “Legal Issues of Artsakh Armenians in Armenia” series, he said there are numerous legal issues.
“First they should provide housing, then require us to become Armenian citizens. If we look at the housing provision program, I understand that we are showing there won’t be a Karabakh issue. If people register and receive apartments, it means the Artsakh issue is being closed,” he noted.
Our interviewee suggests creating neighborhoods, establishing a community, and appointing a community leader.
Mher Hayrapetyan was planning to stay in Artsakh until January 1, 2024 – the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh.
“I left on September 28. A decision was made that everyone had to leave, there was a security issue. I saw with my own eyes how Azerbaijan’s military police entered Stepanakert with their equipment along with the Russians. Seeing all that, I understood there was no security. There was space in my car, but I didn’t take anything – I couldn’t, we thought we would return again,” he recounts.
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The “Strengthening Protection Mechanisms for Rights of Forcibly Displaced Persons from Nagorno-Karabakh” project is implemented by the Armenian Lawyers Association in cooperation with “Harmonia” Shushi Women’s NGO within the framework of the “Monitoring of Justice Sector Reforms in Armenia” (www.juremonia.am) project funded by the European Union.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the integration of forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh in their new communities of residence in Armenia through strengthening mechanisms for protecting their rights, raising their level of legal awareness and access to justice and protection of their rights.
This publication was prepared with the financial support of the European Union. The Armenian Lawyers Association NGO is responsible for the content and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
For more details, see the video.
