Azerbaijani Armed Forces Committed Crimes Against Humanity, Says Special Report by the Human Rights Defender

According to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, the armed attacks by Azerbaijani forces during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid increase in casualties not only in Artsakh but also in Armenia. On his Facebook page, Tatoyan stated: "If during the 7 months preceding the war, there were 951 recorded deaths, this number reached 658 during the war, and only in the half month following the war, 584 people died. Thus, the Azerbaijani armed forces committed not only wartime but also crimes against humanity. There have been gross violations of the right to life, health protection, dignity, and other rights."

He recalled that exactly one year ago, on March 23, 2020, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire due to the COVID-19 pandemic, urging the world to focus on the “real fight for our lives.” Azerbaijani military attacks began in gross violation of calls for the exclusion of force, including direct demands from the UN Security Council to immediately cease military operations during the pandemic. It was evident that an attack during the global COVID-19 pandemic would significantly exacerbate the humanitarian disaster.

No country's healthcare system can withstand the conditions of large-scale warfare against this deadly virus. The fact-finding efforts of the human rights defenders of Armenia and Artsakh testify that the Azerbaijani armed forces utilized the global restrictions of this virus to inflict mass deaths and other sufferings upon the populations of Artsakh and Armenia. Details are reflected in the urgent report of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia," Tatoyan wrote.