YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS. Armenian diplomats have spoken about the violations of human rights in Azerbaijan and Turkey at the UN. Mher Margaryan, representing Armenia, delivered a speech at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council of the UN.

He reminded the obvious manifestations of xenophobia and racism in Azerbaijan, which were recently documented by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

ARMENPRESS present Mr. Margaryan’s speech:



In reply to Azerbaijan

We have already brought to the attention of this council the outrageous practices by Azerbaijan as regards Racism and Xenophobia, these are well documented and reported most recently by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial discrimination.

The Azerbaijani authorities regularly cite 30.000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan, which is in contradiction even with their own census data cited in the current report. This fabrication was also noted by the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in its Third opinion on Azerbaijan adopted in October 2012, stating that only 306 persons, not 30000, indicated an ethnic Armenian origin in the 2009 census. We are not aware of any movement of people with the Armenian origin into Azerbaijan since then. If the Azerbaijani government has any such information why won’t it share with the international institutions as well?

There are numerous facts when citizens of third countries who carry Armenian family name are declined entry into that country, being held at the airport checkpoints intimidated and sent back.

What is it of not a contemporary form of discrimination and racism in flagrant violation of the Durban Declaration and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination.

We urge the Azeri delegation to refrain from disseminating yet another wave of manifestation of hatred and intolerance within this Council.



In reply to Turkey

It is not our intention to raise the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide or its denial by Turkey. We have rather addressed the manifestations of Racism and racial discrimination and xenophobia which accompanies the active denialism campaign by the authorities of Turkey.

Unleashing hateful threats and insults, dissemination of hatred and intolerance towards Armenians and those Turks who publicly acknowledge the Genocide and call upon their government to follow suit has become a norm in the political discourse of Turkish authorities. The situation has reached a point when politicians with Turkish origin in other countries who dare to attest the fact of Genocide or vote for its wider recognition are being stigmatized, subjected to derogatory labeling, called for laboratory blood tests, by the highest authorities of Turkey.

Defining people by their blood is nothing short of a total manifestation of racism and xenophobia. We think that such comments should not continue unabated and need to be properly addressed by the human rights mechanisms of the Council and OHCHR.



Thank you.”