“A total of 3,416 people, including 357 children and 38 women have become victims of landmines in Azerbaijan since 1991,” said the country's Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva as she addressed the round-table discussions on "The Protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and mine victims in Azerbaijan."
Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva mentioned that according to statistical data, since the end of the second Karabakh war (November 10, 2020), that resulted in the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from Armenian occupation, 65 people died and 272 sustained various injuries from mine explosions.
"The rights of persons with disabilities must be constantly protected and promoted; equal opportunities must be created for them in all spheres of life; and educational efforts in this field must be stepped-up," the Ombudsperson noted.
"As a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan during almost 30 years of occupation and in the subsequent years, a large number of mines and unexploded ordnance have been planted in the territories of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur regions. The Armenian side still refuses to provide accurate data on minefield maps," Sabina Aliyeva underscored.
"The global mine terror, which has led to numerous human casualties, severe injuries, and disabilities for thousands of people, poses a serious obstacle to the large-scale reconstruction and restoration works carried out in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, as well as hinders the process of the safe return of former IDPs to their native land,” the Ombudsperson underlined.
