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Why Are There No Armenians In Nagorno-Karabakh

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Why Are There No Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh? — is a 2024 report conducted and published by the non-governmental organization Freedom House that examines the consequences of military actions and Azerbaijan's policies toward the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.[1][2][3] The report states that Azerbaijan conducted a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Armenians in the region, resulting in the end of a millennia-old Armenian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh.[1][4][5][6]

The study was conducted by researches from Freedom House, in collaboration with six partner organizations specializing in field research and documentation of war crimes.[1]

Background

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Main article: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The Nagorno-Karabakh region was disputed between Azerbaijan and the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, which had an ethnic Armenian population and was supported by neighbouring Armenia, until the dissolution of Republic of Artsakh on 28 September 2023.[7] Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh.[8][9] The offensive and subsequent surrender resulted in a flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, in which nearly the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled the region for neighboring countries, primarily Armenia.[10][11][12]

Definition of the ethnic cleansing

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The Final Report of the Commission of Experts established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 780 defined ethnic cleansing as:

a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas", [noting that in the former Yugoslavia] " 'ethnic cleansing' has been carried out by means of murder, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, extra-judicial executions, rape and sexual assaults, confinement of civilian population in ghetto areas, forcible removal, displacement and deportation of civilian population, deliberate military attacks or threats of attacks on civilians and civilian areas, and wanton destruction of property. Those practices constitute crimes against humanity and can be assimilated to specific war crimes. Furthermore, such acts could also fall within the meaning of the Genocide Convention.[13][14]

Key points

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The report accuses Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his government of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity directed at the civilian Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.[1] According to the research, the Azerbaijani military's assault on Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 was the culmination of a years-long campaign in which civilians were subjected to violence, and perpetrators acted with complete impunity.[1][15] The report asserts that Azerbaijan's actions constitute ethnic cleansing, with forced displacement used as a method of removal.[1][15]

The report also highlights instances of the destruction of cultural landmarks, including Armenian churches, cemeteries, and residential areas in Nagorno-Karabakh after the region came fully under Azerbaijani control.[15]

Testimonies of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians

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The report also includes over three hundred testimonies from ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh who survived the attacks.[15][1][16]

On December 12, 2022, the Azerbaijani government began a blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh,[17][18][19] sending individuals who claimed to be eco-activists to block the Lachin Corridor—a humanitarian route that connected Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world.[20][21][22] The blockade led to a humanitarian crisis in the region.[23][24][25] One testimony from Nagorno-Karabakh describes the conditions of hunger during the blockade: "People were starving, fainting in line for bread. It was very hard to survive. We thought that in the end, we would all just die of hunger."[1]

During the Azerbaijani forces' attack on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023,[8][9] one testimony recounts how, as a result of shelling in the village of Sarnakhpur, five civilians were killed, including three children.[1]

By the end of September 2023,[26][27] 100,400 Armenians had fled Nagorno-Karabakh, which made up 99% of the remaining Armenian population in the region.[28][29][30] By November 2023, only a few dozen Armenians remained in Nagorno-Karabakh.[31] The report also includes testimonies about persecution and abuse by Azerbaijani soldiers during the exodus of the Armenian population.[1] According to refugees, the soldiers chased them, beat them, and stole their personal belongings, while insulting them and demanding that they leave the region:[1]

"[They] turned up their music loud, yelled something at us, insulted us with finger gestures and told us: 'Leave, leave!'"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hauer, Neil (24 November 2024). "COP29 host Azerbaijan guilty of 'ethnic cleansing' during 2023 attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh: report". CBC News. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Why Are There No Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh?". Freedom House. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  3. ^ Gasparyan, Lilit. "Why Are There No Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh? International and Armenian human rights organizations publish joint report". Armenpress. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  4. ^ "NEW REPORT: Azerbaijani Regime Ethnically Cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh According to International Fact-Finding Mission". Freedom House. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Freedom House: Azerbaijan's actions from 2020 to May 2024 regarding Karabakh are crimes under Rome Statute". News.am. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Freedom House Report Accuses Azerbaijan of Coordinated Plan to Rid Karabakh of Armenians". Hetq. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh to dissolve, ending independence dream". France 24. AFP. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Armenia, Azerbaijan: Baku Launches Military Operation In Nagorno-Karabakh". Stratfor. 2023-09-19. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-22. ...the Russian peacekeeping contingent is incapable of preventing Azerbaijan's seizure of the region, despite this being a clear violation of the November 2020 ceasefire brokered by Russia that ended the last war.
  9. ^ a b "Joint statement on Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh". European Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-21. We condemn in the strongest terms today's pre-planned and unjustified attack of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh...We recall that the attack takes place in the context of a major humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, following Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor for the past nine months, in violation of Baku's commitments under the ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 and of the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice. Humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be fully and permanently restored.
  10. ^ "Guarantee Right to Return to Nagorno Karabakh". Human Rights Watch. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  11. ^ "Armenian Exodus From Nagorno-Karabakh Tops 100,000; UN Readies For Visit". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  12. ^ "More than 80% of Nagorno-Karabakh's population flees as future uncertain for those who remain". Yahoo Finance. 2023-09-29. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  13. ^ "Final Report of the Commission of Experts Established Pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 780 (1992)" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. May 27, 1994. p. 33. Paragraph 129
  14. ^ "Final Report of the Commission of Experts Established Pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 780 (1992)" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. May 27, 1994. p. 33. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2020. Upon examination of reported information, specific studies and investigations, the Commission confirms its earlier view that 'ethnic cleansing' is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas. To a large extent, it is carried out in the name of misguided nationalism, historic grievances and a powerful driving sense of revenge. This purpose appears to be the occupation of territory to the exclusion of the purged group or groups. This policy and the practices of warring factions are described separately in the following paragraphs. Paragraph 130.
  15. ^ a b c d "After 2023 Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, Why Did Azerbaijan Get to Host COP29?". Democracy Now!. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  16. ^ Canbäck, Rasmus (29 August 2024). "'We Couldn't Work Properly': How Azerbaijan Obstructed Red Cross Relief During the Nagorno-Karabakh Siege". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Азербайджанские "активисты" блокируют дорогу из Карабаха в Армению. Одновременно в Карабахе пропал газ" [Azerbaijani "activists" are blocking the road from Karabakh to Armenia. At the same time, gas disappeared in Karabakh]. BBC News Русская Служба (in Russian).
  18. ^ Górecki, Wojciech; Strachota, Krzysztof (2023-03-06). "The undeclared war. A new phase of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict". OSW Centre for Eastern Studies. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  19. ^ "Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2022: Motion for a resolution Paragraph 80 a (new)" (PDF). European Parliament. 2023-01-11.
  20. ^ "Armenia, Azerbaijan tensions rise over blocked road". news.yahoo.com. 15 December 2022. A group of Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmental activists blocked the Lachin corridor.
  21. ^ "Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh - Hansard - UK Parliament". The report shows that they are clearly 'representatives of Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations, which are directly and exclusively financed by the Azerbaijani government, or the Heydar Aliyev Foundation headed by the first vice president and first lady of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, evidence has been registered that representatives of the Azerbaijani special services are also amongst the alleged "environmental activists" who are currently blocking the only lifeline' for Nagorno-Karabakh.
  22. ^ "France calls on Azerbaijan to reopen humanitarian corridor with Armenia". France 24. 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  23. ^ POSTON, ALEXIS (2023-06-07). "State Fragility and the Shadow of Genocide in Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia (the South Caucasus) | The Fund for Peace". fundforpeace.org. Retrieved 2023-06-08. Armenian civilians of Nagorno Karabakh and surrounding regions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border are threatened by Azerbaijan's military and face violence if they try to leave Armenian territory within disputed areas.
  24. ^ "New Troubles in Nagorno-Karabakh: Understanding the Lachin Corridor Crisis". www.crisisgroup.org. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-05-23. While travellers were already few due to the blockade, the ICRC reports that its ability to get people across has been curtailed [since the installation of the checkpoint], leaving only the Russian peacekeepers to facilitate trips to Armenia for medical care.
  25. ^ "June Alerts and May Trends 2023". www.crisisgroup.org. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-06-19. Checkpoint on Lachin corridor faced fierce opposition amid humanitarian crisis....Azerbaijani military consolidated [the] blockade, however, leading to even fewer crossings and reduced transportation of goods.
  26. ^ "As Ethnic Armenian Exodus Tops 100,000, UN Readies For Nagorno-Karabakh Visit". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2023-09-30. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  27. ^ "More than 80% of Nagorno-Karabakh's population flees as future uncertain for those who remain". The Canadian Press. Yahoo! Finance. 2023-09-29. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  28. ^ "Guarantee Right to Return to Nagorno Karabakh | Human Rights Watch". 2023-10-05. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  29. ^ "UN Reports Between 50-1,000 Armenians Remain Within Artsakh, 99% of Population Gone | Atlas News". 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  30. ^ "Statement on the Sentencing of Vagif Khachatryan in the Republic of Azerbaijan". Lemkin Institute. Retrieved 2024-02-12. Azerbaijan's military aggression against Artsakh on 19 September 2023, which resulted in massacre and atrocity and the consequent flight of almost 100 percent of its indigenous Armenian population to neighboring Armenia. The aggression, atrocity and forced displacement amount to a very thorough genocide of an ancient, continuous indigenous civilization.
  31. ^ Ռ/Կ, «Ազատություն» (2023-11-15). "U.S. Says Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians Entitled To Return Home". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2024-02-10.
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