Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On September 19, 2023, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan carried out military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces. Under the threat of armed force, the population of Nagorno-Karabakh was forced to leave their homes and, within days, was forcibly displaced to the Republic of Armenia.

To support people who found themselves in a de facto refugee status, the Government of the Republic of Armenia undertook extensive humanitarian aid efforts, implementing various financial support programs and assessing needs.

For the protection of the rights of forcibly displaced citizens, Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor provided free legal support from November 2023 to June 2024 through contact persons and lawyers in all regions of the Republic of Armenia. The purpose of legal support is to facilitate the access of forcibly displaced persons to the social support programs provided by the government through legal and informational advice, to monitor the effectiveness of the implementation of state and community support programs in the regions, to present recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of the implemented programs and further policies and strategies.

Starting November 2023, the Organization provides legal support to forcibly displaced persons in the direction of ensuring accessibility, availability, and implementation of social support approved by the RA government's decrees.

The legal support has been provided to 12 contact persons (two in each region, and two in Yerevan) and 7 lawyers, who establish contact through humanitarian aid with residents affected by displacement due to their actions, carrying out home visits, assessing needs, and in case of necessity, preparing legal documents of significant importance to the RA authorities for resolving issues concerning the problems of displaced Artsakh residents.

From November 2023 to the present, the organization has provided more than 1,650 legal

consultations.

As a result of the legal consultations, 259 letters have been sent to various state bodies

regarding the documented issues.

• RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs 188 letters

• RA Ministry of Internal Affairs 43 letters

• RA Ministry of Health 10 letters

• RA Government Humanitarian Center 6 letters

• RA General Prosecutor's Office 2 crime reports

• RA Ministry of Justice 5 letters

• RA Ministry of Defense 3 letters

• RA Ministry of Finance 2 letters

You can see the report HERE.