A preliminary investigation is being carried out in the department of investigation of significant cases of the leading military investigation department of the RA Investigative Committee, starting from December 12, 2022, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia, the Lachin Corridor, through the illegal blockade and the complete siege of the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh with the motive of national, ethnic, racial, religious affiliation. To create living conditions aimed at full or partial physical destruction, as well as to kill the members of that group for complete or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, or religious group against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, 2023, by the military-political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan, severe damage to their health, or causing serious mental mutilation, or creating living conditions aimed at the total or partial physical destruction of that group, including carrying out measures aimed at forced displacement, crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination as part of a large-scale or regular attack against civilians, as well as to find out the circumstances of cases of kidnapping motivated by hatred, intolerance or enmity caused by racial, national, ethnic or social origin, religion, political or other views, or other circumstances of a personal or social nature.
Taking into account the complexity and large-scale nature of the criminal proceedings, to ensure the objectivity, completeness, and versatility of the case, an investigative group was formed in the RA Investigative Committee.
As part of the preliminary investigation, factual data was obtained that the military-political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in violation of the requirement of paragraph 6 of the tripartite statement published by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Russian Federation and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020, from December 12, 2022 illegally blocked the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor. Fake environmental protesters initially carried out the illegal blockade. Then, on April 23, 2023, in the Berdzor Corridor, on the Hakar Bridge, Azerbaijan illegally installed a checkpoint, thus giving an apparent institutional character to its criminal behavior. On June 15, 2023, the Azerbaijani side, deliberately resorting to provocation on the Hakar bridge, completely blocked all humanitarian passenger and cargo transportation through the Lachin corridor in both directions. As a result, the scheduled transportation of medical patients from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia was disrupted for a long time. The departure of passengers due to urgent humanitarian needs via the Stepanakert-Goris-Stepanakert route was canceled with the mediation of Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Azerbaijani side also prohibited the entry of any humanitarian cargo—mountainous Karabakh. The supply of gas to Nagorno Karabakh has been regularly interrupted since December 2022, since March 2023, and since January 2023, electricity. During that time, civilians living in Nagorno-Karabakh were abducted from the illegal checkpoint installed on the Hakar bridge.
Continuing its policy of ethnic cleansing and actions aimed at it, on September 19, 2023, at around 13:00, the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh, which has been under siege since December 12, 2022, killed its national, ethnic, racial, religious for the purpose of complete or partial physical destruction with the motive of belonging, using mortar-missile means, combat aviation, drones, using prohibited methods of waging war, without distinguishing civilians from servicemen, they launched a large-scale attack along the entire Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line, systematically, deliberately and purposefully targeted the civilian population of the peaceful settlements of Nagorno Karabakh, in particular, making the civilian population in the deep rear the targets of non-selective attacks, and the civilian objects were shelled with the mentioned weapons in the cities of Stepanakert, Askeran, Martuni, Martakert and their adjacent settlements, causing human and property losses.
In the course of the two-day military operations, there were recorded cases of war crimes of deliberately causing the death of Armenian service members and civilians, using violence against them, subjecting them to torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, as well as torturing and desecrating the bodies of service members and civilians.
According to the factual data obtained during the preliminary investigation, more than 200 servicemen and civilians were killed in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of military aggression. About 12 civilians and 30 servicemen are considered missing. There are at least 14 cases of torture, 12 of them.
Are service members, and 2 are civilians. As a result of military operations, three children were killed, and 231 servicemen and 80 civilians were injured to various degrees.
As a result of the planned and deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result of the military aggression carried out on September 19-20, almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 100,000 people, was forcibly displaced, without having any property, solely due to the need to save physically. Proper time and opportunity to withdraw the property. Moreover, during the forced deportation and the period immediately following it, the death of 64 civilians was recorded, which are directly causally related to the siege period, ethnic cleansing operations, and the deprivations suffered during the deportation, such as hunger, lack of medication and medical assistance, etc.
Cases of abductions of civilians, including representatives of the military and political leadership of Nagorno Karabakh, and capture of service members by the armed forces of Azerbaijan were also investigated by the body implementing the procedure. At the current stage of the investigation, there is data on the capture of 16 people: 6 service members and the abduction of 10 civilians. The Republic of Azerbaijan has confirmed that they have only 9 of the 16 persons, and appropriate actions are being taken about the others.
In the framework of the proceedings, large-scale investigative and procedural actions are being carried out. During the preliminary investigation, forensic genetic and forensic medical examinations were appointed, the proceedings confirmed the relatives of the deceased persons, and the process of identification of the bodies continued.
The RA Investigative Committee continues to collect data on the forcibly displaced persons and to recognize the said persons as victims, as well as the fact-finding process regarding the ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan and the war crimes committed during them.
In this context, the RA Investigative Committee once again urges the persons forcibly deported from Nagorno-Karabakh who have information regarding the above-mentioned criminal acts in any format and medium to provide it to the body conducting the proceedings. Confidentiality of received information is guaranteed.
