Closure of the Only Road Connecting Artsakh to Armenia Organized Directly by Azerbaijani Authorities: Tatoian Foundation

The closure of the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia is a continuation of Azerbaijan's criminal policy aimed at the depopulation of Artsakh. This statement was released by the Tatoian Foundation.

“The closure of the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, carried out by individuals claiming to be part of a 'civil' and 'environmental' movement, starting at 10:30 AM on December 12, 2022, is organized directly by Azerbaijani authorities. This conclusion is based on professional studies conducted by the Center for Law and Justice, the Tatoian Foundation.

It is evident that the closure of the road and the blockade of Artsakh serves no environmental purpose; rather, it is part of Azerbaijan's criminal policy for the extermination of the Armenian population of Artsakh. This is a deliberate objective by Azerbaijani authorities to cut Artsakh off from Armenia, and to intimidate and isolate the civilian population.

They are creating a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh, disrupting the normal life of over 120,000 peaceful residents and leading to fundamental violations of human rights. For 9 hours now, civilians have been isolated, enduring severe congestion amidst the winter weather, unable to access essential rights, including medical assistance. Both monitoring activities and citizen reports testify to this situation.

Studies by the Center for Law and Justice confirm that this is accompanied by anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijani media, inciting hostility and terror. The Azerbaijani domain of social networks is filled with calls to resolve the 'environmental' issue by involving the Azerbaijani special forces 'YAŞMA,' and themes of crushing or killing Armenians, forcing them to 'swallow blood.' Participants in the illegal actions that closed the road display extreme-nationalist grey wolf symbols, among others.

These are the same pages on social media that incite hatred and hostility during any Azerbaijani armed attack or provocation and are clearly linked to Azerbaijani authorities.

The closure of the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia is a continuation of Azerbaijan's criminal policy aimed at the depopulation of Artsakh. The results of these studies will be sent to the relevant international organizations,” the statement concluded.