Isolation of Stepanakert Had Strategic Importance for Azerbaijan, Tatoyan

The former Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan wrote on Facebook: "The last peaceful morning in Artsakh opened two years ago. Following a 9-month blockade, on September 19, 2023, at noon, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack in all directions—Martuni, Martakert, Askeran, and Stepanakert.

Azerbaijani armed forces directly targeted the civilian population, blocking intercommunity roads, and destroying vital infrastructure, creating panic and an uncontrollable situation. To survive, people had to walk for dozens of kilometers, taking detours, as Azerbaijani armed servicemen made all of Artsakh a dead end, there was no fuel, and vehicles could not be operated.

As a result of two days of bloody military actions, official data indicates we had 223 fatalities, including at least 21 civilians, among them 5 children, 244 injured, and about 20 missing. However, the disaster is not only contained within these numbers; Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has been depopulated, with more than 110,000 residents leaving their homeland, deprived even of the opportunity to visit the graves of their relatives. This should also be viewed in the context of the forced displacements from the 44-day war in 2020, where the number of forcibly displaced persons exceeds 150,000.

However, our remembrance of the day should not be merely emotional; we must keep all evidence proving ethnic cleansing, which the Tatoyan Foundation for Law and Justice is consistently working on. Special reports have shown that the Azerbaijani armed attacks against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19-20, 2023, had a deliberate tactical design. Their priority was to cut off communication between defensive positions and populated areas so that Armenian soldiers could not inform residents about the Azerbaijani attacks.

The attacks began on September 19 around 12:30 PM, targeting even schools. Many people had walked out in the morning to gather food or fulfill other essential needs. Many could not find their family members, including children. Moreover, Azerbaijani armed forces immediately destroyed civilian infrastructure, isolating the four regions of Artsakh, namely Stepanakert, Martuni, Askeran, and Martakert, from each other. Even rural and forest paths that could have provided escape routes for civilians were blocked.

The isolation of Stepanakert had strategic importance for Azerbaijan, as it created chaos, preventing the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh from managing the situation. According to one piece of collected data, on September 20, a grandfather with his sons-in-law, unaware that Azerbaijani servicemen had established positions near Stepanakert, decided to go to the village of Harakh to visit his grandson. As a result of gunfire, the vehicle turned into a "mesh," the elderly man was killed, and his two sons-in-law were injured. It is important to stress that the incident occurred during daylight hours under clear visibility conditions.

Many such documented facts, including data regarding the abduction and treatment of civilians, refute Azerbaijan's claims that their actions were not against the civilian population. At the core of all this is the Azerbaijani state policy of hatred and racism against Armenians, which has always existed. Azerbaijani authorities have never renounced it, occasionally attempting to disguise it and mislead the world with a façade of peace, but the real situation does not change. The evidence lies in the described actions. They currently continue to advance their aggressive plans against Armenia.

P.S. Attached is a video from Charektar showing how Azerbaijani armed forces are firing at civilian homes."