Armenian NGOs Call on International Organizations

A group of civil society organizations from Armenia issued an urgent call to action on December 15, addressing the UN Secretary-General, UN Special Rapporteurs, the Council of Europe, and EU institutions regarding the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh caused by the blockade of the Lachin humanitarian corridor, the only route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world.

The letters reporting the humanitarian crisis were sent to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, the special rapporteurs appointed by the UN Human Rights Council on the rights to food, water, health, education, and development, as well as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and EU institutions.

The letters, prepared and submitted by Open Society Foundations – Armenia, the NGO 'Rights Without Borders', Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center, the Helsinki Civil Assembly Vanadzor Office, the Foundation for the Development and Protection of Rights, the NGO 'For Equal Rights', the Journalists' ‘Aparaz’ Club, the Citizens’ Decision NGO, the Public Journalism Club, and the Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional Cooperation, specifically state: 'The blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world, followed by the closure of the pipeline supplying natural gas to Karabakh, are coordinated actions by the Azerbaijani government aimed at creating a humanitarian crisis and making it impossible for Armenians to live on their own land. This is yet another development in the disturbing situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which has not been adequately condemned by international organizations, thereby encouraging the Azerbaijani regime to carry out its genocidal policy of ethnic cleansing in the region.' The letters continue: 'It is evident that the Azerbaijani government initiated this blockade, jeopardizing the lives of approximately 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.'

The organizations detailed the worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, stating that 'Azerbaijan's actions aim to acquire territories through ethnic cleansing—without the indigenous Armenian population residing in those areas.' They emphasized that the Azerbaijani government's actions against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh violate several provisions of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).

'Moreover, the complete isolation of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh is a violation of international humanitarian law, human rights, and possibly international criminal law. In addition to its human rights obligations, Azerbaijan is bound to ensure the unobstructed movement of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh via the Lachin corridor, as stipulated in the ceasefire statement signed on November 9, 2020, by the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, and the President of the Russian Federation.'

'In this crisis situation, urgent measures are needed. We call on the UN Secretary-General and the relevant UN bodies to issue a clear statement condemning the actions of the Azerbaijani government, demanding the immediate restoration of the free movement of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh via the Lachin corridor and the rights of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and calling for the entry of relevant UN agencies into Nagorno-Karabakh to assess the situation and provide humanitarian assistance,' the letter from Armenian NGOs concludes.