Page 15 - karabag raporu eng

2. Introduction

mbudsman Institutions are impartial and independent human rights
Oinstitutions tasked with protecting individuals against violations of hu-
man rights, abuse of authority, unfair decisions, and maladministration. On
the other hand, Ombudsmen are also responsible for making the necessary
efforts to develop the culture of seeking legal remedies, to strengthen hu-
man rights not only in their own countries but also all over the world, and to
raise awareness in this regard.
Ombudsman Institutions come together and establish associations/net-
works for the purposes of providing mutual information and experience ex-
change, supporting each other, and raising stronger awareness by making
more voices together, within the framework of key objectives such as promot-
ing human rights and strengthening institutions both in their own countries
and in the world. One of these associations is the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation Ombudsmen Association (OICOA), which was established in
2014. The Chief Ombudsman of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr Şeref Malkoç, has
been the president of the Association as of 19 November 2019. The Com-
missioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Azerbaijan (Ombudsman) is
also a member of the Board of Directors, and the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan,
Ms Sabina Aliyeva, invited the Members of the Board of Directors to Baku to
determine on-site the “violations of human rights that have occurred along
with the attacks on military and civilian targets that Armenia launched on 27
September 2020”.

The Chief Ombudsman and President of OICOA, Mr Şeref Malkoç, organised
a study visit to Azerbaijan on 21-23 October 2020 to conduct an on-site ex-
amination regarding the alleged violations of human rights while the conflict
was still ongoing. In addition to the official contacts during the study visit,

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