Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on Monday said that the current border standoff, especially after Azerbaijan set up customs checkpoints along two main roads, violates the rights of the citizens of Armenia who reside in and around the impacted areas.
He told Asbarez Editor Ara Khachatourian, in an exclusive interview that also will air Monday at 8 p.m. on Horizon Television, that Azerbaijan’s ongoing policy of Armenophobia currently has manifested itself in using the checkpoints to isolate residents from their basic rights—food, work, medical services and commerce.
He argued that as negotiations are underway to determine the pace and process of opening the co-called communications and transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan, blockading Armenian citizens from access to basic necessities is a violation of rights and international norms.
Tatoyan is in Los Angeles at the invitation of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region and will serve as a keynote speaker at a luncheon on Sunday, Nov. 21 marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark ANCA Grassroots Conference. Tatoyan also will receive the ANCA-WR “Human Rights Champion” award during the luncheon. Obtain tickets. Tatoyan will also speak on a panel with other leading human rights experts on Monday, Nov. 22 at CSUN. ANCA-WR has organized this event in collaboration with the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, the UCLA Promise Armenian Institute, and the CSUN Armenian Studies Department.
Following the interview at Horizon studios in Little Armenia, Tatoyan visited the Asbarez offices and met with its editorial department and staff. He answered staff questions about the current post-war realities in Armenia.
He also praised Asbarez for its continued coverage of the events in Armenia and especially the newspaper’s commitment to shed light on the activities of the Human Rights Defender’s Office and its mission to protect the rights of the citizens of Armenia.
