The Shurnukh-Davit Beg section of the Kapan-Yerevan highway

It was widely reported that between 4 and 5 a.m Tuesday local time Azerbaijani forces stationed on the section of the Davit Bek-Shurnukh villages on the Kapan-Yerevan interstate highway threw rocks at a civilian car with Armenian license plates, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan reported.

Immediately after the publication of the information, the Human Rights Defender initiated a fact-finding mission with the participation of the Syunik division of the Defender’s staff. As part of this effort, the investigation of the incident on the road between the villages of Davit Bek-Shurnukh confirmed that Azerbaijani troops were stationed at the site.

The information about the incident was confirmed to the Human Rights Defender by the mayor of Kapan, who confirmed that the car was a civilian vehicle with passengers on board and had an Armenian license plate.

Tatoyan emphasized that what occurred clearly attests to the “real threat to the internationally recognized rights of Armenian citizens guaranteed by the Constitution.”

“This, is in specific reference to people’s rights to life, physical and mental health, integrity, property and other vital needs,” explained Tatoyan.

“The information about this incident clearly substantiates the Human Rights Defender’s concept that there should be a security zone in Syunik to guarantee the rights of the Armenia’s citizens,” added Tatoyan.

“There should be no Azerbaijani soldiers, signs or flags on the roads between the communities near the villages of the Syunik region. Armenia’s Human Rights Defender will dispatch the information about this incident separately to the various international structures, and will incorporate it in the security zone concept,” said Tatoyan.