The UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) has urged Armenia to address the issues raised by the Western Azerbaijan Community,” the Western Azerbaijan Community said in a statement.
“The Western Azerbaijan Community submitted an extensive Parallel Report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights regarding the Fourth Periodic Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights by the Republic of Armenia.
A representative of the community, Kamal Jafarov also attended the Committee meeting.
The Community reported about the violation of the Covenant and other international human rights conventions by Armenia by expelling Azerbaijanis living there, and called on the Committee to take urgent measures to eliminate human rights violations.
The Committee had recently published its concluding observations and recommendations on Armenia's implementation of the Covenant. Many of the comments raised by the Community, in particular the issues of discrimination, violations of national minority rights, and cultural rights, as well as the failure to fulfill obligations to preserve Azerbaijan's cultural heritage and as well as to protect refugee rights by Armenia, were reflected in the Committee's final document.
The Committee called upon Armenia to take measures to maintain an inventory of cultural and religious monuments belonging to national minorities and currently under threat of extinction, as well as to preserve them with the necessary funding and other appropriate measures.
The Committee underlined that Armenian legislation and practices violated the rights of national minorities and refugees, and urged Armenia to take the necessary measures to improve the situation in this area.
The fact that the issues raised by the Western Azerbaijan Community have been included in the Committee's document is an important step towards the restoration of Azerbaijanis’ rights guaranteed under international conventions, who have been expelled from Armenia.
The Western Azerbaijan Community will continue its efforts in this regard,” the Community added.
