Azernews.Az

Friday March 29 2024

HRW: Armenia launched unlawfully indiscriminate missile attacks on Azerbaijan

12 December 2020 08:30 (UTC+04:00)
HRW: Armenia launched unlawfully indiscriminate missile attacks on Azerbaijan

By Ayya Lmahamad

Armenian military forces carried out unlawfully indiscriminate rocket and missile strikes on Azerbaijan during the hostilities from September to November 2020, Human Rights Watch reported in its official website on December 11.

During on-site investigation in Azerbaijan in November, Human Rights Watch documented 11 incidents in which Armenian forces used ballistic missiles, unguided artillery rockets, and large-caliber artillery projectiles that hit populated areas in apparent indiscriminate attacks.

It was noted that in at least four other cases, munitions struck civilians or civilian objects in areas where there were no apparent military targets.

“Armenian forces repeatedly launched missiles, unguided rockets, and heavy artillery into populated cities and villages in violation of the laws of war. Again and again in the course of the six-week war, these attacks unlawfully destroyed civilian lives and homes and should be impartially investigated,” Europe and Central Asia director at HRW Hugh Williamson said.

Moreover, Human Rights Watch investigated Armenian forces missile, rocket and artillery attacks that struck cities, towns and villages in Aghdam, Barda, Fuzuli, Ganja, Goranboy, Naftalan and Tartar regions of Azerbaijan. The report examines 18 of these strikes, which killed 40 civilians and wounded dozens more, based on in-person interviews with 53 witnesses to attacks and 12 phone interviews, news reports and governmental data.

Furthermore, Human Rights Watch also examined satellite imagery of 10 of the 17 attacks and photos, videos posted on social media from the site of nine of the attacks, which corroborated the time and date of the attacks, and the scale of destruction. It was noted that other attacks will be addressed in future reports.

“Armenian forces fired hugely destructive, inaccurate weapons into Azerbaijan’s cities, towns, and villages. Accountability for these and other apparent violations of the laws of war is critical,” Hugh Williamson said.

It should be noted that 100 civilians were killed and 416 injured in Armenia’s heavy artillery attacks on Azerbaijan’s densely populated areas since September 27. In addition to causing civilian casualties, the Armenian attacks damaged homes, businesses, schools, and a health clinic, and contributed to mass displacement. Thus, as a result of the shelling of civilian infrastructure facilities by the occupying country's armed forces, 4,186 houses and 135 multi-apartment residential buildings, as well as 548 civilian facilities were severely damaged.

Azerbaijan and Armenia were locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27. Armenia had been targeting Azerbaijani densely populated cities and settlements, located far from the conflict zone, and strategically important objects and facilities.

The 44 days of war ended with the Russian brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders. The peace agreement became effective envisages the de-occupation of Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions by December 1 as well as the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven adjacent regions under the control of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

---

Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

Loading...
Latest See more