Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Publishes Report on Killings of Civilians by Azerbaijani Armed Forces

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh has prepared and published an interim report on the killings of civilians in Artsakh by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The report summarizes cases of civilian deaths resulting from targeted strikes during the military aggression launched by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the Republic of Artsakh from September 27, 2020. It presents concise information regarding the killings of civilians who fell under the control of Azerbaijani armed forces (captured).

"From September 27 to December 22, 2020, a proven 60 civilians were killed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, including 39 as a result of targeted attacks and 21 during captivity. Cases of torture and mutilation of corpses, as well as targeted attacks leading to civilian deaths, have been documented. The Human Rights Defender has also recorded 163 cases of civilian injuries, a significant number of which occurred due to strikes that led to the death of other individuals. The document presents only the proven cases with irrefutable basis, however, the office of the Human Rights Defender has also received partial information regarding other alleged cases that have yet to be fully verified. Additionally, at the time of the report's publication, nearly 40 names of missing civilians have been documented based on the fact-finding activities of the Defender, some of whom, based on proven data, are in Azerbaijani captivity, regardless of the official silence from Azerbaijani authorities. However, the practice suggests that some of the mentioned civilians are also allegedly killed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, and it cannot be ruled out that their bodies will be found in search operations conducted in their residences, as has been the case with some bodies until today.

For these reasons, the presented lists and statistics are still preliminary, and fact-finding activities are ongoing. Chapter 2 of the report presents 39 civilian casualties killed as a result of long-range strikes by the Azerbaijani armed forces, including shelling, artillery fire, bombings, and gunfire from diversion groups. Chapter 3 summarizes data on 21 civilian casualties killed under Azerbaijani captivity or at least under their control through the use of physical violence, stabbing, beheading, close-range gunfire, and other direct means. Considering that the bodies of some victims have been found a considerable time after their death, it has become impossible to assess the circumstances of death and the traces of the committed crimes in specific cases. Nevertheless, brief information is also provided regarding preliminary conclusions from forensic examinations in certain cases," the report states.