Artsakh Ombudsman’s Updated Report Details Human Rights Violations During 6-Month Blockade

STEPANAKERT — Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender has published an updated version of the trilingual ad hoc report on the violations of human rights as a result of the 6-months (182-day) blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.

The report presents detailed data on the violations of 7 individual rights, 5 rights of vulnerable groups and 4 collective rights, which reflect the deepening humanitarian crisis and the genocidal policy of Azerbaijan towards the people of Artsakh.

Presented below are some basic excerpts from the Report on human rights violations as a result of the 182-day blockade:

• The movement of people passing through the Stepanakert-Goris highway (along the Lachin corridor) has decreased by about 198 times (2246 entries and departures instead of 445,900);
• Almost 58 times less car traffic was recorded on the road compared to what should have been in case of lack of blockade (2,867 car entries and departures, performed only by the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers, instead of 167,440);
• Approximately 13 times less vital cargo was imported compared to what should have been in case of laack of blockade (5,574 tons instead of 72,800 tons);
• Due to the suspension of the pre-planned operations, about 1400 citizens lost the opportunity to solve their health problems via surgery;
• Azerbaijan has completely or partially interrupted the gas supply from Armenia to Artsakh for a total of 117 days;
• The electricity supply from Armenia to Artsakh has been completely cut for 154 days now, which led to the introduction of rolling blackouts followed by numerous accidents;
• According to preliminary estimates, about 11,000 people have actually lost their jobs and sources of income (including cases of job retention)
• The country’s economy suffered loss in the amount of about USD 346 million;
• A number of violations of rights are more pronounced in case of vulnerable groups, in particular 30,000 children, 9,000 people with disabilities, 20,000 older people, 60,000 women (women and girls) and 15,000 displaced persons.

In addition to the continuous and multiple violations of the provisions of the Tripartite Statement of November 9, 2020, the mandatory execution of the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the United Nations (UN) on ensuring unhindered entry and departure of people, cars and cargo along the Lachin corridor has not been implemented by Azerbaijan, which once again tramples on the highest international values and principles. Moreover, after that the Azerbaijani side resorted to new aggressive actions which resulted in human losses and new sufferings among Artsakh people. Since April 23, the Azerbaijani side has installed an illegal checkpoint near the Hakari bridge. Consequently, the international community has not only the right, but also an indisputable obligation to implement the decision of the Supreme International Court of Justice by practical means as soon as possible and to prevent future Azerbaijani crimes, including the new planned and brutal crime against humanity.

All the violations of Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh are carried out within the framework of its state policy of racial discrimination (Armenophobia) and are deeply directed against their right to self-determination and the fact of its realisation, aimed at finally resolving the conflict to their advantage via ethnic cleansing based on the “no people, no rights” logic.

The systematic and consistent policy of ethnic hatred pursued by Azerbaijan, which manifested itself both during the aggression against the people of Artsakh in 2020 and after the establishment of the ceasefire regime, indisputably proves that any status of Artsakh within Azerbaijan is tantamount to ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and the genocide of the Armenians of Artsakh. Therefore, in the context of the Artsakh conflict, the right to self-determination is equal to the right of people to live in their homeland.

The fundamental right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, as well as the Azerbaijani encroachments and threats against their physical existence on the basis of racial discrimination are more than sufficient grounds for the protection of the people of Artsakh by the international community, as well as the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh based on the principle of “remedial recognition.”