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Qabil Ashirov

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A recently-shot documentary film by a British journalist called Oğul (Son) shook the Azerbaijani society. The film is about Natig Gasimov who fought for five days in the church in Khramort village, Garabagh. On the fifth day, Armenians sent a prisoner from Khojaly to him and threatened that all prisoners would be shot if he did not surrender. To save civilians, Natig Gasimov surrenders. Military photographer Enriko Sarzini shot his photos when he surrendered. After that, Natig went missing but the photo of a brave young man who courageously holds the Azerbaijani tricolor among the Armenian soldiers engraved the memories of Azerbaijanis for good.

Based on this photo, British journalists conducted an investigation to shed light on his fate. They found new photos of Natig shot by Sarzini during his interrogation and interviewed by the Armenian General Vitali Balasanyan. British Journalists presented the photo of the interrogation to Balasanyan, and the general said that he did not remember. Later, journalists interviewed the Armenian soldiers who partook in the church fight and the soldiers immediately remembered the person who sat in front of Natig and interrogated him. That person was Vitali Balasanyan. The soldiers confessed that after Sarzini's departure, Natig Gasimov was dismembered in accordance with Vitali Balasanyan’s order, and his body members were burned to ash. After that, British journalists called Vitaly for a new interview but he refused.

The documentary film reminded all of the woe and pains of the Garabagh war. Natig Gasimov was neither the first nor the last person who came across Armenian atrocities and violence. Actually, the hideousness in Khojaly pushed him to join the Azerbaijani Army to fight for restoring justice. During the first Garabagh War, 16,000 civilians were brutally killed and in addition, 4,000 civilians went missing. Natig Gasimov was one of them. Even some can consider him "lucky" in comparison with other missing persons. At least, thanks to Enriko Sarzini, he was "immortalized" in photos.

Unfortunately, remaining unpunished encouraged Armenians to continue their crimes. During the Second Garabagh War, Armenians resorted to atrocities again.

Take the missilling Ganja, for example. Three years ago, Armenian armed groups hit Ganja, the second largest city of Azerbaijan, with ballistic missiles on the 4th of October in 2020. As a result of the rocket attacks, a total of 26 people, including 6 children and teenagers, were killed, 142 people, including 29 children, received various physical injuries, 4 children belonging to 3 families lost both parents, more than 3,900 residential and non-residential areas of the city, as well as around 100 vehicles, were heavily damaged.

Later that day Arayik Harityunyan, the head of the Junta regime in Khankendi forged by Armenia, released a statement and took responsibility for the attack. Even going further, he threatened Azerbaijan that all big cities would be at their aim.

He justified his terrorist action as if the Armenian side struck the military infrastructure in Ganja. However, not only Azerbaijani but also international journalists who conducted investigations on the scene noted that there was no military infrastructure on the ground. Besides, famous politicians and independent experts lambasted Arayik that Ganja was far away from the front and called the incident a terror attack against civilians.

The next day, on October 5, 2020, Ganja was shelled a second time and the spokesman of the self-proclaimed "artsakh's president", Vahram Poghosyan repeated his patron's threatening and said that "A few more days and I am afraid that even archaeologists will not be able to find the place of Ganja."

After three days, Armenia again shelled Ganja. The fourth attack happened on October 10 and ten civilians were killed. It followed the fifth attack which cost the lives of 15 civilians. Ganja was not the only city which subjected to fire. Armenians struck Barda and Tartar cities twice which cost over 50 casualties. During the Second Garabagh War, about 100 civilians were killed by Armenians. To top it all off, after the Second Garabagh War, dozens of mass graves were found in the liberated territories, and Azerbaijani society was eager to see the day of justice.

Luckily we didn't have to wait long. On October 3, 2023, several separatist leaders, including Arayik Harutyunyan, were detained and brought to Baku for trial. However, Arayik’s detention was somehow a gift to Azerbaijanis, because he was arrested on the same day of the Ganja attack and the following days of the broadcasting of Oğul documentary film. We are sure that all members of the Garabagh separatists, including Vitaly Balasanyan, will be detained and brought to court.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

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