RA HRD Anahit Manasyan referred to Azerbaijani military aggression towards Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Azerbaijani armed forces use large-caliber weapons, including artillery, against the civilian population. According to the information registered in the human rights defender’s office, as a result of shelling, there are currently 32 dead and more than 200 wounded, including 7 dead (2 children) and 35 wounded (13 children) among the civilian population.
As a result of Azerbaijani aggression, buildings, cars parked in yards, and houses were damaged. In the early morning of September 20, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired at the Stepanakert ambulance. It was on its way to the Martakert region to transport the bodies of eight people who died due to the Azerbaijani attack.
According to the information spread by open sources, the Azerbaijani armed forces also opened fire on the vehicles of the Russian peacekeepers when the latter attempted to evacuate women and children from Nagorno Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor, through the Hakari Bridge.
These facts confirm that the armed forces of Azerbaijan aim to complete the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The human rights defender’s staff also monitors the Azerbaijani press and social networks, as a result of which a large number of posts targeting the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh based on ethnic origin, promoting and justifying hatred and violence were recorded by the users of social networks. The defender notes that such an intolerant attitude of the Azerbaijani society is the consequence and proof of the anti-Armenian policy of the Azerbaijani authorities.
The human rights defender specifically emphasizes that Azerbaijan’s aggression grossly violates the principles of international law and international humanitarian law. The defender calls on international organizations and actors with a mandate to protect human rights to assess the Azerbaijani actions and take immediate measures to stop the mass crimes.
