Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Since 2023, HCA Vanadzor has undertaken efforts for the protection of the rights of forcibly displaced persons as a result of the unleashed military operations by Azerbaijan. The Organization provides legal counseling to more than 1900 forcibly displaced persons annually, in case of necessity, submits applications to the court, and documents cases of restored rights. One of them is presented below;   

The applicant to the Organization, M.G., a citizen of Nagorno-Karabakh, had been married since 2012. However, her husband died on September 19, 2023, as a result of military actions. In September, M.G. was forcibly displaced to Armenia along with her minor children, where she attempted to claim her husband's inheritance—specifically, a car and a house left behind in Nagorno-Karabakh. Since a notary office in the Republic of Armenia refused to certify the inheritance, M.G. turned to HCA Vanadzor for assistance. 

The Organization, through its lawyer Liana Mkhoyan, submitted a claim to the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Lori region, Republic of Armenia, requesting that M.G. be recognized as her husband's heir. By its decision on April 16, the court upheld the claim.

We note that persons forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh have not been deprived of their right to property. Although they no longer have physical possession of their property, their ownership rights over properties in Nagorno-Karabakh remain intact. Although there is an ongoing violation of the right to property, under such legal assessments, the legal status of property belonging to deceased persons is not left uncertain: upon acceptance of the inheritance, the legal succession of the fundamental right to property is preserved. 

HCAV continues to provide free legal support to the persons forcibly displaced from NK. To get support, call at the following numbers; 

094042268 
094962324 
011242268 
077342268։  

The project is co-funded by the European Union and with the support of Democracy Development Foundation.