Azerbaijani Armed Forces Continue Intense Shelling for Over a Week: Human Rights Defender

The Azerbaijani side has not allowed representatives from Artsakh to restore the alleged "breakdown" of the gas pipeline for about a week now. As a result, more than 100,000 people are deprived of heating in cold weather conditions. Additionally, electricity is periodically cut off, further exacerbating the severe humanitarian situation created during and after the war, according to Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan.

As a result, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and temporary shelters for displaced persons are deprived of basic living conditions, making it impossible to realize individuals' healthcare and children's educational rights. Furthermore, Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been intensively shelling the peaceful population in the villages of Artsakh for over a week, targeting the villages of Kharamort and the town of Askeran, as well as the villages of Karmir Shuka and Khunushinak in the Martuni region. One civilian has been injured in Kharamort.

All these actions aim to maintain an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among the people living in Artsakh, with the intent to ethnically cleanse the region of its indigenous Armenians. I strongly condemn the continued criminal policies of the Azerbaijani state. I call on international organizations to respond clearly to the situation and to increase pressure on Azerbaijan to stop this criminal behavior. Human rights are universal; they should not be observed through the lens of geopolitical conjuncture.

This message has been sent to international organizations and diplomatic missions.