Displaced Karabakh people demand right of return and continuation of social support

Thousands of displaced Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and others rallied at Freedom Square in Yerevan on March 29, presenting a series of demands to both the Armenian government and the international community. The demonstration, organized by the Council for the Protection of the Rights of Artsakh People, focused on their right of return and the need for continued social assistance.

It took place amid an unusually heavy police presence around the square.

Former Artsakh Minister of Culture Lernik Hovhannisyan criticized the Armenian government for agreeing to drop all claims against Azerbaijan in the European Court of Human Rights.

 “Artsakh is the treasury of Armenian culture. Today, Azerbaijan is committing cultural genocide in Artsakh. Armenia, by withdrawing its claims against Azerbaijan from the European Court of Human Rights, will give Azerbaijan a green light,” Hovhannisyan told rallygoers.

“If we left our homeland under the threat of physical extermination, it does not mean that we have renounced our right to return,” declared Gegham Stepanyan, former Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, addressing the crowd. “The right of return is not some fairy tale; it is a right enshrined and must be protected.”

In September 2023, after a nine-month blockade, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing around one hundred thousand Armenians to flee their homes. Most settled in Armenia, joining approximately 40,000 others who had been displaced earlier from areas occupied by Azerbaijan after the 2020 war.

Stepanyan emphasized that the rally’s primary purpose was to advocate for fundamental rights, not merely social benefits. “If anyone tries to characterize this as just a struggle for social assistance, they simply lack basic morality and human empathy,” he stated, acknowledging that such support remains vital. “The cessation of this assistance would have disastrous consequences, condemning thousands of families to homelessness and poverty and pushing them to emigrate.”

Earlier this month, Yerevan and Baku announced they have agreed on the final points of a peace deal, which includes dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group mediation format for Karabakh conflict resolution and removing EU observers along Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan. Notably, the document makes no mention of the right of return for displaced Karabakh Armenians or refers to Nagorno-Karabakh at all, even though Nagorno-Karabakh has been central to the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Our main message to both Armenian authorities and international actors is clear: no one has the right to make decisions regarding the fate of Artsakh people without consulting us,” Stepanyan declared.

“We want to live in our homeland in dignity, holding on to the hope and goal of returning to Artsakh,” Stepanyan said.

Stepanyan highlighted that the right of return is the foundation of the Artsakh people’s rights. “Our rights cannot be fully protected anywhere but on our own land and in our homes. The hope of return must not fade. Abandoning this right would mean giving up on our existence and identity,” he stated.

“Leaving our homeland under threat of annihilation does not mean we have given up our right to repatriation. Ensuring the right to return isn’t an unrealistic dream; it’s a right that must be defended and advanced.”

Stepanyan also highlighted that both chambers of the Swiss parliament had recently adopted a resolution reaffirming the right of return for the people of Artsakh due to coordinated efforts with the Armenian diaspora. He called on the Armenian government and the international community to make the right of return a key issue in future negotiations.

“A just settlement to the conflict cannot be achieved at the cost of the violated rights and shattered lives of thousands of people,” he added.

The demonstrators presented a 12-point petition to the Armenian government. Their demands include pursuing the collective right of return per the November 2023 decision of the UN International Court of Justice, continuing to address housing and social needs until return becomes possible, organizing an international donor conference focused on Artsakh refugees, protecting Artsakh’s cultural heritage and private property interests, including legitimate representatives of Artsakh people in all relevant policy decisions, and continuing international legal claims against Azerbaijan.

Rally organizers also emphasized the plight of at least 23 Armenian hostages still held in Azerbaijan, including former Artsakh leaders who face fabricated trials.

The Council for the Protection of the Rights of Artsakh People announced that until the Armenian government responds to their demands, rally organizers and supporters will set up tents in Freedom Square for a scheduled sit-in protest and will hold a press conference Monday at noon to outline next steps in their campaign.

In their letter, rally organizers call on the Armenian government to “Proactively, consistently and responsibly implement all possible legal, political and diplomatic steps to ensure the collective return of the people of Artsakh to their homeland and a safe, dignified, stable and self-determined life there.”

They also demand stable and dignified living conditions for the people of Artsakh now residing in Armenia and employment programs for those with no work.

They also call on the Armenian government to “Refrain from the extremely dangerous approach of withdrawing complaints filed against Azerbaijan in international courts, which would grossly and directly violate the rights of the people of Artsakh and numerous other Armenians without the existence of any alternative and adequate mechanism for their protection and restoration.”

The government did not immediately react to the protesters’ demands. “If the authorities take no action to keep this segment of the Armenians in Armenia and strengthen Armenia, the course of this struggle will definitely be unpredictable,” warned one of the speakers. “If they don’t solve our socioeconomic problems and our women and children are left on the street, this struggle will become a political struggle, whether they like it or not.”

The protest leaders first and foremost want Armenia’s leadership to take “all possible legal, political and diplomatic steps to ensure the collective return of the people of Artsakh to their homeland where they can live a safe, dignified, stable and self-determined life.”

The rally’s organizers, who did not include members of the exiled government, accused Pashinian and his political team of spreading hate speech against the Karabakh Armenians and demanded an end to the alleged practice. They said the authorities in Yerevan must also reinstate all refugees as Armenian citizens.

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