“Landmines planted by Armenia in our territories continue to seriously endanger the lives and health of civilians and military servicemen. On 14 October, one civilian was hit by an anti-personnel mine in the Gushchu Ayrim village of the Gazakh district. We have to note that since the Second Karabakh War to date, more than 380 people have fallen victim to landmines, and unfortunately, this tragic statistic continues to rise,” Sabina Aliyeva, Azerbaijan’s Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman), said in a statement regarding the mine explosion in the Gushchu Ayrim village of the Gazakh district.
“Armenia’s failure to provide our country with accurate maps of mines planted in our territories not only seriously violates the right to life and the right to health but also significantly hinders the safe return of our former IDPs to their homes, the realization of their right to live in a healthy environment, and reconstruction and restoration works in the region. In addition, the detonation of those mines results in water and air pollution, degradation of soil structure, and overall leads to an environmental crisis.
The international community should seriously influence Armenia to provide us with accurate maps of minefields and should speak out against the mine terror of this country, as well as respond firmly to war and environmental crimes and humanitarian violations committed,” she added.