33 civilians killed by Azerbaijani armed forces in their residences, criminal case initiated based on data presented by the human rights defender

A criminal case has been initiated based on factual data presented to the prosecutor's office by the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh. This was reported by the Artsakh Human Rights Defender.

“On February 19, 2021, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh initiated a discussion regarding the alleged cases of improper execution of evacuation duties towards the population by officials performing civil defense functions during the military aggression unleashed against the Republic of Artsakh starting September 27, 2020. The initiation of the discussion was based on data collected during the fact-finding activities carried out by the Human Rights Defender, according to which, as of February 19, 33 civilians have been killed by the Azerbaijani armed forces in their residences, and the fate of more than ten civilians remains unknown.

In order to investigate the circumstances of the case, the data has been transferred to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Artsakh, based on which, a criminal case has been initiated on March 1 of this year,” the statement said.