Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

“We expect nothing from Armenia, but death,” said an Armenian refugee who had to leave Azerbaijan following Yerevan’s aggression towards Baku.

The refugee, who introduced herself as Anne, in her letter to the ArmenianReport news portal compared the situation of ethnic Armenian refugees in the occupant country with genocide.

“With each passing day, it is frightening to be in this country where there is no one to ask for help,” Anne said.

Many Armenians, along with Azerbaijanis, have become victims of the Armenian authorities' aggressive policies, propagating hatred and cruelty. These people – once living in a peace and prosperity in Azerbaijan but obliged to leave after Yerevan's illegal territorial claims against its neighbor – are now sick of the lingering resentment and their miserable lives.

Anne, who forgot the joys of life after having constantly lived in poverty and fear, has lambasted the Armenian authorities for infringement of the rights of refugees.

She said after Baku, her life turned into a nightmare in Armenia, “As if I got into a Nazi camp, where for many years I was subjected to all kinds of endless torture.”

Anne noted that refugees feel hatred everywhere in Armenia, as they are frequently called "Turks" –which shows their deep hatred against Azerbaijan.

She exposed the real situation in Armenia: high-level corruption, bureaucracy, lawlessness, misappropriation of other people’s money, abuse of official positions, a disregard for people's problems, baseless trials for citizens, the violation of human rights and so on.

Support for improving the social and living conditions of Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons are a top priority for the Azerbaijan government. In stark contrast, the situation for Armenian refugees is deplorable.

Armenia’s military junta, which has continued to occupy Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territories for over two decades using a policy of aggression and ethnic cleansing, now keeps its own people under oppression.

The political, social, and economic situation in this land-locked country is worsening day by day. The people, fed up with the incompetent and illegal actions of the regime, corruption, as well as unemployment and the economic crisis have recently held massive protests throughout the country.

On the other hand, the regime continues to demonstrate its open hatred towards the refugees, forcing them to live in famine and poverty.

Anne said for during many years, she was left without a job – since refugees are not employed in Armenia – received no benefits, could not acquire loans, and was not included in any national or international programs.

“A reason for all this is discrimination on the basis of country of origin, [is that] in Armenia, we are ‘Turks,’ we are called here like this, and it makes no sense to lodge complaints as each employee, even a janitor, is backed by someone who covers all their crimes,” Anne said.

She also went on to say that she is not the only victim; many refugees from Azerbaijan in Armenia have been deprived of property, work, and everything else. Anne said they have nowhere to turn for help as their complaints turn against themselves.

The refugee said it is not difficult for the Armenian authorities to fabricate cases against defenseless refugees, pushing them into prison or psychiatric hospitals thereby confiscating their property.

The refugees, who defend their rights, are being persecuted. The majority of them are forced to flee Armenia. However, the ones who are unable to escape continue to live in fear and endure humiliation and powerlessness. They turned into hostages that are used by the authorities as a tool for selfish ends and speculation.

“The situation of refugees in Armenia is like the genocide. The only difference is that we are not killed physically, but mentally and psychologically. In order to somehow survive, not to die of hunger, refugees have to do the dirty, heavy, unbearable for a person work, while becoming a slave, dying of misery and suffering,” Anne said.

This is bare proof of the mass violations of human rights in Armenia, where officials proudly talk of the necessity of ensuring human rights in their meetings with European officials, forgetting about the real situation in the country.

Anne said the refugees in Armenia are deprived of the right to life; they are unable to receive adequate jobs, housing, and cannot easily do business. They have no opportunities to obtain loans or grants provided by international organizations to which they are entitled.

She noted that their complaints to international and non-government organizations haven’t yielded any results so far.

It is no coincidence that Armenia tops the list for violations of human rights, corruption, etc. Also, complaints to international organizations and courts from Armenian citizens have significantly increased.

Armenian refuges have also been deprived of social and medical assistance. “Most of the refugees passed medical check-ups for the last time in Azerbaijan, as in Armenia it is not available for us – it became too expensive. Thus, here we are deprived of the right to life,” Anne said.

The refugee went on to note that in Armenia, the attitude of the local authorities and the local population towards refugees still remains malevolent. Dozens of refugees die at an early age in poverty and misery.

She noted that under pressure from the government, they have to take Armenian citizenship, which they do not need.

This letter by the Armenian refugee is another clear manifestation of the Armenian authorities’ policy of hatred against Azerbaijan. They even tantalize their ethnic kin for no reason other than the fact that they came from Azerbaijan.

As a result of its policy of ethnic cleansing, Armenia has turned into a mono-ethnic country.

The bloody Nagorno-Karabakh War, which flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor, left 700,000 civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions adjoining it, as well as the regions bordering Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh without homes.

Moreover, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia and became refugees as a result of Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy after the emergence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing, almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 became disabled.

While there are no Azerbaijanis living in Armenia, with exception of the hostages, however, a large number of Armenians still leave in Azerbaijan in safety.

Some experts say there are 25,000-30,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan, especially in the capital Baku. They have the same rights as other citizens in the country. The sheer size of their population proves that there is no threat against the lives of Armenians in Azerbaijan.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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