Armenia ombudsperson on Kirants villagers’ property rights: The state has specific obligations

At Thursday’s session of the National Assembly of Armenia, the opposition MP Taguhi Tovmasyan asked Human Rights Defender (ombudsperson) Anahit Manasyan what information she has about the violence that took place in Kirants village of Tavush Province today, what measures she has taken to protect the local people's rights, and to what extent they can record that these people's property rights are being violated.

In response, Manasyan said: "Naturally, we demanded clarifications from the competent authorities. Of course, they provided some clarifications verbally, but we are waiting for official clarifications.

Regarding the property right, let me say, record, I have communicated also with the state bodies. Even if the persons do not have a certificate of right for property but have exercised the right to possess, use any immovable property for years, it’s all the same; the state still has specific obligations in this case.

Regardless of who exercises the power, the state has allowed the exercise of these powers to take place. Naturally, the state is also obligated to bear all the consequences related to this, including compensation, through various formats.”

As reported earlier, on April 19, the Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation commissions agreed to start border delimitation from Tavush Province of Armenia. The description of the given sections of the border line will be drawn up taking into account the clarification of the coordinates made as a result of geodetic measurements on the site, and this will be worded in a corresponding protocol-description, which must be agreed upon and signed by the two parties before May 15.

The office of the Prime Minister of Armenia had announced that as a result of all this, Azerbaijan will receive 2.5 villages, and Armenia will get a reduction of security risks related to border delimitation. A few hundred meters of the motorway will be changed in the Kirants village section, whereas Voskepar village will not have a motorway problem. After the border delimitation, the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan will withdraw in the area of the four villages, and they will be replaced by the border guards of the two countries.

Residents of Tavush’s border villages have been protesting on the Armenia-Georgia interstate motorway since April 19. They are against the aforesaid version of border delimitation agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan.