72 Killed, 163 Injured Civilian Persons: Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Presents New Data

The Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh has updated its interim report on cases of civilian killings by Azerbaijani armed forces, which includes cases discovered during search operations after December 22, 2020. This information has been reported by the press service of the Artsakh Human Rights Defender.

The report summarizes instances of civilian killings due to targeted strikes during Azerbaijan and Turkey's military aggression against the Artsakh Republic from September 27, 2020, along with information on those civilians who were killed while under Azerbaijani military control (captured) with concise updates.

From September 27, 2020, to January 28, 2021, there were recorded incidences of 72 civilian killings by the Azerbaijani armed forces, of which 41 were due to targeted strikes and 31 were from captivity. The report documents several cases of torture, mutilation of bodies, and targeted strikes resulting in unavoidable civilian casualties.

The Human Rights Defender has also noted 163 incidents of civilian injuries. The Office continues to receive information requiring investigation into other alleged cases, and the results of these studies will be included in future updates of the report.

At the time of this update, the Office maintains data on missing civilian persons, some of whom are likely in Azerbaijani captivity, while others are presumed to have been killed by Azerbaijani armed forces. The periodic discoveries of civilian bodies in areas of Artsakh now under Azerbaijani control testify to this. The bodies of some victims have been found long after their deaths, necessitating in-depth professional investigations to detail the circumstances of death in specific cases and to uncover traces of the committed crimes; nevertheless, preliminary findings by forensic experts have also been presented in some cases.