"Why are there no Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh?" Freedom House's report describes what Azerbaijan has done in Nagorno-Karabakh as an international crime

The international human rights organization Freedom House has presented a large-scale fact-finding report titled "Why are there no Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh?", in which the events that took place in Nagorno-Karabakh are studied in detail, starting with the second Karabakh war in 2020 and ending with Azerbaijan's military attack on Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. and its consequences.

According to "Armenpress", the report, in particular, includes the work of an international fact-finding mission, including interviews with hundreds of witnesses and open sources, which aims to answer the question why there are no more ethnic Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh as of May 2024.

The report analyzed and documented how people in Nagorno-Karabakh were deliberately subjected to regular attacks, intimidation, deprivation of basic rights and adequate living conditions, and mass deportations.

The evidence shows that the Azerbaijani state acted with a methodical strategy to empty Nagorno Karabakh of its ethnic Armenian population, historical and cultural presence.

The evidence presented in the report clearly indicates that the Azerbaijani authorities carried out their actions in this matter in a methodical and systematic manner, with the aim of depriving Nagorno Karabakh of native Armenians, cleansing the region of Armenian historical heritage and culture.

The report published by the international human rights organization Freedom House also presents the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, the 9-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan and the resulting humanitarian crisis, attacks against the civilian population and intimidation related to the mission of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh. the events, the mass movement of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia, the destruction of the facts of Armenian presence in the region, the Armenian historical and cultural heritage.

"The 44-day war was a difficult experience for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. the destruction, devastating displacement and loss of life have exacerbated the general sense of fear among residents of Azerbaijan. Memories of extrajudicial killings, torture and abduction of civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces, including the elderly and persons with disabilities. Most of the respondents mentioned how scared they were when they met the Azerbaijani servicemen. The possibility of meeting them caused the fear of murder, torture or abduction," the report states.

During the events from 2020 to May 2024, the fact-finding mission of the organization recorded gross violations of human rights by Azerbaijani officials, violations of international humanitarian law and international criminal law, as well as serious violations of mandatory norms of international law.

The report also touched on the disruptions in the supply of natural gas to Nagorno Karabakh. "On March 8, 2022, a section of the only gas pipeline leading from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh was damaged in the territory under the control of Azerbaijan. There have been periods of cold temperatures during this time, and people have reported having trouble heating their homes. Many of them have been forced to switch to electric heating systems, which has strained the electricity supply infrastructure, causing power outages that further reduce the availability of heating. The pipeline was restored 11 days later on March 18, but a few days later it was shut down again for another week, during which Azerbaijani authorities installed a shut-off valve. The valve was then used to shut off gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh at least 10 times before the pipeline was completely shut down in March 2023.

The continuation is here.