Demand Letter for the Protection of the Rights of the People of Artsakh Addressed to the Armenian Authorities and the International Community

At a large rally organized on March 29 in Yerevan by the Council for the Protection of the Rights of Artsakh People, a petition addressed to the RA authorities and the international community was presented. The full text of the petition is presented below.

We, the residents of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), who have been forcibly displaced from our historical land and have become victims of occupation and genocide, and Armenians who recognize the value of Artsakh, united in our Motherland, the Republic of Armenia, raise our voice in defense of our rights, dignity, and future. Our demands are based on the fundamental principles of international law, universal norms of human rights, the inalienable right of nations to self-determination, historical justice, and national dignity.

Our demands to the authorities of the Republic of Armenia and various actors of the international community are:

1․ Proactively, consistently, and responsibly implement all possible legal, political, and diplomatic steps to ensure the collective return of the people of Artsakh to their homeland and their safe, dignified, sustainable, and self-determined life there. In this regard, it is necessary to comply with the decision of the UN International Court of Justice of November 17, 2023, and to raise the issue of the proper implementation of this right in negotiations with Azerbaijan.

2․ Until then, we demand that the Government of the Republic of Armenia ensure sustainable and dignified living conditions for the people of Artsakh, including:
- Unconditional continuation of the rental assistance program until the proper satisfaction of each family's housing needs;

- Launch of a new, fair, and effective housing program based on a comprehensive assessment of family needs, promotion of community living, encouragement of housing construction, prevention of emigration, and other key principles;

- Implementation of effective employment programs which, in harmony with meeting housing needs, will ensure overcoming the prevailing poverty among forcibly displaced Artsakh people, formation of stable and dignified income, and realization and development of existing potential.

3․ Organize an international donor conference to attract large-scale external funds for the implementation of the above-mentioned and other fundamental humanitarian and developmental programs and to avoid increasing the long-term financial burden on the shoulders of the people of the Republic of Armenia.

4․ Abandon the artificial policy of forcing Armenia’s citizenship and return to Artsakh people their Armenia’s citizenship, allowing everyone to enjoy the rights of a citizen and assume the obligations arising from it.

5․ Review the unconstitutional decision of the Armenia’s government regarding the pension funds accumulated by Artsakh people, allowing each person to independently manage their accumulated funds.

6․ Refrain from the propaganda of hatred within the Armenian people, especially towards Artsakh people, including from government circles, and punish without exception the authors of all such manifestations.

7․ Do the utmost for the protection and immediate release of Armenians held hostage and tortured in Azerbaijan, including through conducting appropriate negotiations with Azerbaijan, applying international legal and political mechanisms, promoting international sanctions against the Aliyev regime, and other pressure tools. Also keep in focus the implementation of the obligation to clarify the fate of missing Armenians.

8․ Consistently and publicly raise the issue of protecting Artsakh's Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage and public and private property in international forums, pursuing the implementation of international judicial acts adopted on the basis of Armenia’s claims. In this regard, it is extremely important to systematically present to the international community the systematic and continuous cases of destruction and appropriation of cultural heritage and private and public property by the Azerbaijani authorities, demanding the activation of international monitoring mechanisms and the application of sanctions.

9․ Ensure the submission of state referrals to the International Criminal Court by Armenia and/or partner states requesting the investigation and punishment of the forced displacement of the people of Artsakh and other international crimes.

10․ Refrain from the extremely dangerous approach of abandoning complaints submitted against Azerbaijan in international courts, which would greatly and directly violate the rights of the people of Artsakh and many other Armenians without any alternative and adequate mechanism for their protection and restoration.

11․ Avoid any steps to dissolve the internationally recognized format for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict—the OSCE Minsk Group, and also resume negotiations in the Minsk Group format for the protection and restoration of the rights of the people of Artsakh.

12․ Ensure the proper involvement of legitimate representatives of the people of Artsakh in all processes of domestic and foreign policy decision-making regarding the people of Artsakh, as well as take into account the voice of the people of Artsakh, excluding the adoption of illegal and self-proclaimed decisions.

We, the forcibly displaced citizens of Artsakh and Armenians who recognize the value of Artsakh, express with this petition not only the pain of our loss and extremely difficult situation but also our determination to defend our rights both in Armenia and on international platforms.

This is a call for justice, for the sake of a bright future, for the sake of our national dignity, for the sake of sustainable, just and dignified peace in the region, for the sake of the preservation of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Homeland...