Azerbaijan’s Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman), Sabina Aliyeva, has addressed an open letter to international human rights organizations, foreign ombudsmen, and national human rights institutions regarding Armenia's policy of ethnic cleansing and deportation, carried out against the Azerbaijani people based on racial discrimination and hatred.

Axar.az reports that in the letter, the Ombudsman urges international organizations, foreign ombudsmen, and national human rights institutions to adopt a firm and just stance toward Azerbaijan, based on universally accepted norms and principles of international law, without resorting to double standards.

Sabina Aliyeva calls on the international community to take decisive steps toward a just resolution of the issue. She emphasized the necessity of effective international measures to investigate the horrifying facts revealed by the confessions of Armenia’s former president.

Additionally, the Ombudsman notes that it is crucial to recognize the genocide acts committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis based on racial and ethnic-religious discrimination, ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis deported and subjected to ethnic cleansing to their historical lands in Western Azerbaijan (currently Armenia), and restore their violated rights.

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) has also called on the international community to ensure the protection of all fundamental rights and freedoms of Azerbaijanis once they return to their historical homeland, in line with international law. In addition, Sabina Aliyeva emphasized the need for the return of Azerbaijani property, including land of various purposes, to their rightful owners. She highlighted the importance of compensating for the damages caused by the prevention of property use and the losses incurred, covering all costs arising from the restoration of property rights, and taking other necessary actions to ensure these measures are implemented by the Armenian government.

One of the important issues raised in the Ombudsman’s letter is the systematic vandalism policies carried out by Armenia, which include the destruction, looting, appropriation, and alteration of the origin and purpose of Azerbaijani properties, historical, cultural, and religious monuments in both the current territory of Armenia and during the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur economic regions. These actions have been deemed as international crimes, and the Ombudsman has called for necessary steps to be taken. She also urged the Armenian government to refrain from actions that promote hatred and discrimination against Azerbaijanis on racial, ethnic, and religious grounds, particularly preventing the involvement of children in such activities.

In her appeal to foreign ombudsmen and the international community, Sabina Aliyeva demanded the prohibition of literature that promotes hatred towards Azerbaijanis and is used to shape the younger generation, as well as the cessation of hate-based speeches against Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan by state representatives and political leaders.

In her opinion, international human rights organizations, foreign ombudsmen, and national human rights institutions, as well as the global community, will take this issue seriously and will not withhold their support in ensuring a fair investigation into the crimes committed in the territories of Azerbaijan, as well as in the restoration of the rights of Azerbaijanis.