Azerbaijan Cuts Internet Optical Fiber Cable, Says Artak Beglaryan

On August 17, at 17:55, near the illegal checkpoint located in the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor, the Azerbaijani side cut the optical fiber cable, disrupting Artsakh's stable internet connection. This was reported by Artak Beglaryan, an advisor to the President of Artsakh.

“Last night, specialists from Artsakh attempted to approach the site with Russian peacekeepers to repair the cable; however, the Azerbaijani side did not allow it. Negotiations have been ongoing since this morning between the peacekeepers and the Azerbaijani side to enable our specialists to restore the damaged cable.

I do not consider it a coincidence that this new crime occurred literally 5 minutes before the start of the press conference on the genocide in Artsakh, following the UN Security Council meeting. As a result of this provocation, the speakers from Artsakh, including the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan and displaced citizen Alvina Nersesyan, were able to connect with the other two speakers—Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan and former Chief Prosecutor of the ICC Luis Moreno Ocampo—45 minutes late, via unstable and alternative means of communication. Despite Azerbaijani efforts, the press conference took place, attended by approximately 130 people from 27 countries.

Incidentally, the internet in Artsakh is currently accessible only in a severely limited capacity through unstable radio communication, which is continuously under pressure from Azerbaijani jamming systems.”