July 20, 2021 - 13:06 AMT
HRD slams Azerbaijan's shooting of Armenian communities as "criminal"

The shootings of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces near Armenia's Yeraskh community in recent days are criminal, and they are becoming regular, the Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said Monday, July 19.

"The criminality of these shootings is obvious against the background of Azerbaijani shootings in other bordering parts of the Republic of Armenia, near communities, further evidenced by the fact that a serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces was killed on July 14 near Yeraskh," Tatoyan said in a statement.

The head of Armenia's Yeraskh community, Radik Oghikyan, was injured in Azerbaijan's shooting from across the border late on July 19, the Ministry of Defense said earlier. The Ministry added that the Azerbaijani military used various caliber weapons, including grenade launchers, to shell the Armenian positions on July 19-20.

Head of Geghamasar community Hakob Avetisyan confirmed later that the Azerbaijani military also opened fire in the vicinity of the border settlements of Armenia's Gegharkunik province throughout the night of July 19-20.