The activist urged the Karabakh deputies to address the issue of protecting the property rights of refugees.

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Public figure Tigran Petrosyan addressed the Karabakh deputies with a demand to protect the rights of forced migrants to the property left in Nagorno-Karabakh and to ensure compensation for its loss. The damage from the loss of property is estimated at over 100 billion dollars.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", politicians and activists from Nagorno-Karabakh have repeatedly spoken about the need to continue the struggle for the realization of the right of the Karabakh people to return and self-determination. Activists of the Karabakh movement believe that return may be possible after strengthening Armenia.

Public and political figure from Nagorno-Karabakh Tigran Petrosyan demanded that the Karabakh deputies protect the rights of forced migrants to property and ensure compensation for the damage caused by Azerbaijan.

"I have repeatedly raised the issue of protecting the international rights of Artsakh people (Karabakh people), primarily their property rights. I have called on the deputies of the National Assembly of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to address this issue and to demand accountability from Azerbaijan, including requiring the application of international legal mechanisms for compensation for destroyed, seized, and illegally appropriated property of our citizens. Unfortunately, during this time, the public has not seen real steps in this direction. Meanwhile, the issue of protecting the property rights of hundreds of thousands of forced migrants remains one of the key issues and cannot tolerate further delay," he wrote on August 8 on his social media page.

If the deputies believe that they do not have sufficient resources or opportunities to solve this task, society has the right to hear about it openly and honestly

Petrosyan noted that "today international law and judicial practice provide opportunities for protecting the rights of victims." "That is why I consider it necessary to call on the deputies of the National Assembly of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to use all available political and legal tools to protect the interests of citizens who entrusted them to represent their rights. If the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) parliament has the necessary capabilities and powers, it should initiate and coordinate work on preparing international claims and demands for compensation for the damage caused to the citizens of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). If the deputies believe that they do not have sufficient resources or opportunities to solve this task, society has the right to hear about it openly and honestly," Petrosyan stated.

The activist added that "Artsakh people deserve not declarations, but consistent and professional work to protect their internationally recognized rights, including property rights and the right to receive compensation for the damage suffered."

The state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Nzhde Iskandaryan noted that "after ethnic cleansing and complete occupation of the territory of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), it was no longer possible to conduct a full inventory, as the overwhelming majority of documents remained on the territory of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)."

He noted that "according to very rough estimates, the damage only in terms of real estate left in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is estimated at more than 100 billion US dollars." "The issue of compensation for property left in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) remains exclusively within the competence of international judicial bodies, which already have relevant practice," Iskandaryan told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

Notaries do not issue certificates of inheritance rights based on certificates of property rights for property left in Nagorno-Karabakh

In response to a question about whether documents confirming property rights in Nagorno-Karabakh are recognized today, the state minister replied: "As for movable property, there are no problems here. However, regarding real estate, there are certain difficulties due to legal regulation. For example, notaries do not issue certificates of inheritance rights based on certificates of property rights for property left in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)."

"600 claims have already been sent to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the illegal appropriation and deprivation of property of the residents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Azerbaijan," said the head of the public organization "Union of Artsakh", human rights defender Artak Beglaryan to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

According to him, "these are demands related to real estate and other property that belonged to the citizens of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) before their forced displacement." He also added that "work on collecting and preparing applications continues, and currently nearly 1000 applications are being studied."

"After forced displacement, the residents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) were deprived of the opportunity to use and dispose of their property. The preparation and support of the relevant materials involve the public organization "Union of Artsakh", the legal office "Ara Kazaryan", the ombudsman of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and the Center for International and Comparative Law. Legal work is necessary to document cases of property deprivation and to seek their international legal assessment. In addition, property rights cannot be viewed solely as a matter of receiving monetary compensation for lost property, but must be viewed as demands with a broader set of rights for Artsakh people, including the right to return," noted the human rights defender.

The official authorities of Armenia are effectively refusing to address this issue and provide the necessary support in protecting the property rights of Artsakh people

He added that "unfortunately, the official authorities of Armenia are effectively refusing to address this issue and provide the necessary support in protecting the property rights of Artsakh people, however, the lack of state support should not mean a refusal to protect the property rights of citizens at the international level."

"It is important that the property rights of Artsakh people are not ignored, and that each specific case is documented. This is not only a matter of material damage, but also a matter of restoring violated rights, preserving people's connection to their homeland, and protecting their right to return," concluded Artak Beglaryan.

Refugees spoke about life in Armenia

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" what they lost after forced displacement and how they now live in Armenia.

After the pogroms of the Armenian population in Azerbaijan in the late 1980s - early 1990s, the family Srbui Asryan was forced to leave Baku and move to Stepanakert. The apartment in Baku was exchanged for an unfinished house in Stepanakert, which belonged to an Azerbaijani family. According to Asryan, the deal was formalized in accordance with the legislation in force at that time, and all confirming documents have been preserved by the family. "Now we are told that this is not our house, not our city, not our homeland. But most people have property there that has been left since Soviet times, everyone has documents confirming property rights. Why is even this not taken into account today?" the woman wonders.

Today, being in Armenia, without a home and stable income, thousands of families are on the brink of survival

According to her, after forced displacement from Nagorno-Karabakh, thousands of families found themselves in an extremely difficult situation, having lost their homes and stable sources of income. "Today, being in Armenia, without a home and stable income, thousands of families are on the brink of survival. Those responsible for our situation must answer and be punished according to all international laws," Asryan believes.

Naira Shakhnazaryan lived in Stepanakert on V. Saroyan Street, 6. According to her, this building was one of the first destroyed by the Azerbaijani side. "On the internet, we saw how our building was destroyed, how the entire neighborhood was leveled to the ground. And no one opposed the fact that we were deprived of our property. After all, these buildings were built back in Soviet times, and according to the documents, each apartment has a legal owner. All this is confirmed by documents," Shakhnazaryan noted.

Nazik Arzumanyan lived in the village of Mayramadzor. According to her, the village has a centuries-old history, and her family settled there several centuries ago. "Our village is medieval, our family has lived here for several centuries. The Azerbaijani authorities destroyed our entire village: houses, spiritual monuments, cemeteries - practically nothing is left," Arzumanyan said.

According to her, even after forced displacement, the residents of Mayramadzor continue to keep in touch with each other and remember their life in their native village. "Being in Armenia, for various reasons - both in joyful and sad moments - we meet with fellow villagers. Everyone remembers their home, yard, village streets, and springs. We remember how we grew up, how new families were created, how houses were built for the young. And every time we talk about how we want to return and are ready to rebuild our village," the woman noted.

The hope for return always remains

She admitted that life as a forced migrant remains a difficult test. "Being a refugee and facing social and psychological problems every day is very hard. But the hope for return always remains. There is also hope that international law will prevail and the rights of Karabakh people will be restored," Arzumanyan said.

On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted large-scale military operations in Karabakh. On September 20, 2023, an agreement was reached to cease hostilities and disarm the Karabakh Defense Army, and from January 1, 2024, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ceased to exist in accordance with the decree of its last president Samvel Shahramanyan. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a reference "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".

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