APPEAL of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation to international organizations
29 Oct 2020
At the initiative of Russia and the United States, a ceasefire was declared for the third time in Moscow and Washington, mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and in accordance with its criteria, to replace military corpses, other detainees and corpses.
Nevertheless, the Armenian side violated the ceasefire in
accordance with their abominable nature and fired on all settlements along the
frontline in Azerbaijan. Unable to come to terms with their defeat on the
battlefield, the Armenian government is purposefully attacking the civilian
population living in the frontline and beyond.
As a result of heavy artillery shelling of Garayusifli village
of Barda region by the aggressive Armenian armed forces on October 27, 2020 at
16:00, 5 civilians, including a 7-year-old child, died and 14 people were
injured.
Less than a day after the terrorist attack, on October
28, at around 13:00, the occupying Armenian armed forces fired cassette bombs,
banned by international law, into the densely populated areas of Barda and
shopping malls. According to preliminary reports, 21 people were killed and
about 70 were injured, and civilian infrastructure and vehicles in the city
were severely damaged.
These atrocities, the gross violation of the 1949 Geneva
Conventions, are evidence of the continuation of the genocidal policy pursued
by Armenia against the Azerbaijani people since the early twentieth century.
The targeting of civilians in the city of Barda means
that Armenia, as before, still ignores the resolutions and conventions adopted
by international organizations.
The European Union, the OSCE member states and other
international organizations, including the United Nations, and a number of
countries, including the United States, Russia, Germany and France, have
repeatedly appealed to the Azerbaijani government and its leader to suspend the
ceasefire. It is unfortunate and surprising that the leaders of these organizations
and states remain indifferent to the atrocities committed by Armenia against
the civilian population of Azerbaijan, including civilians living in Ganja and
today in Barda, after the ceasefire. This one-sided and pro-Armenian position,
based on double standards, is also incomprehensible to us.
It is an injustice and a gross mistake to treat the
aggressor and the victim of aggression from the same plane as the aggressor and
the victim of occupation. The lack of the necessary practical reaction of the
international community has created false illusions about the possibility of
any kind of savagery on the part of Armenia.
We believe that the inactive position of the
international community makes the aggressor Armenia even more attractive and
encourages it to commit new crimes. International organizations, as well as
OSCE member states, must urgently react to these inhumane actions and show
Armenia its place.
At the same time, we think that many of the world's
leading media outlets, in some cases, under the influence of the Armenian
lobby, do not properly convey the true nature of the events to the world
community. We call on them to support the truth and justice. Accurate and
impartial coverage of events is their duty. Introducing the aggressor to the
world under his own name can help prevent Armenian terror. It could end the
life of a civilian, a child or an elderly person.
We think that the gross violation of the humanitarian
ceasefire by the Armenian government should be understood as disrespect to the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs calling for a ceasefire, especially to Russia and
the United States, which play a mediating role. If these bodies have no
influence on Armenia, then their existence does not matter.
The fact that Armenia has committed so many war crimes in
the eyes of the whole world stems from the atmosphere of impunity created for
them. There should be only one standard - the standard of justice - in the
fight against non-compliance with international law and international
humanitarian law, conventions based on human values.
We, the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, call
on you to use your authority to take appropriate steps to stop the atrocities
committed by Armenia against the civilian population, including women, children,
the disabled and the elderly.
We believe that you will strongly condemn the acts of
vandalism committed by Armenia against the civilians of Azerbaijan, including
the civilian population living in the city of Barda, and will raise the issue
with the relevant authorities to punish the aggressor.
