Azerbaijan Blocked Red Cross Operations During Nagorno-Karabakh Blockade: OCCRP

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has published an extensive piece detailing the challenges faced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) during the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and the obstacles created by the Azerbaijani side. Reports 1lurer.am.

It was noted that during the blockade, when tens of thousands of people were subjected to starvation, the Red Cross encountered various obstacles in delivering assistance, including due to the Azerbaijani Red Crescent's actions.

“With each subsequent convoy, everything became increasingly difficult. The Azerbaijani side pressured us, starting with minor issues such as movement restrictions, to serious problems created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan,” said a former ICRC employee who participated directly in the organization's operations on the ground.

It was also mentioned that there were serious violations during the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. In particular, the local branch of the Azerbaijani Red Crescent publicly opposed the ICRC's work in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Despite the fact that officials of the Azerbaijani Red Crescent were obligated to uphold the official principles of the Red Cross, including neutrality, impartiality, and unity, they repeatedly echoed statements from the Azerbaijani government, publicly questioning the suffering of the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh and undermining the credibility of the ICRC's mission.