Azerbaijani Military Deploying Artillery in Civilian Populated Areas

STEPANAKERT — NKR Defense Army has published photos that show the Azerbaijani military has deliberately deployed its artillery positions within civilian settlements in order to use them as “human shields” against Armenian retaliatory measures.

The photos, in particular, show the artillery positions in the Azeri villages of Zangishal and Chemenli, situated a few dozen meters away from civilian settlements.

The NKR Defense Ministry said in a statement that “all the marked military objects in the photos are legitimate targets for NKR Defense Army, according to the principles of the international law (Article 52, Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts).

NKR Defense Army has also published a video of Mataghis village shelling conducted by Azerbaijan on the night of April 27.

“Azerbaijan not only continues attacking civilians, but also tries to present the reversed version of events, as it has been its habit, and accuses NKR of bombing settlements in Azerbaijan,” states the Defense Army.