NGOs urge serious int’l moves against Armenia over war crimes

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have urged serious international steps against Armenia due to its war crimes against Azerbaijan in last year's war.

In an appeal to international organizations on the first anniversary of Armenia’s missiles attack on Ganja city on October 11, 2021, the NGOs said: "NGOs active in Azerbaijan in the field of human rights protection, again with great concern appeal to international organizations and urge them to take serious steps against Armenia and its military leadership, which committed the murder of innocent children and women a year ago, to give a political assessment of the war crimes committed by it and crimes against humanity."

At about 4 am on October 11, 2020, using the Tochka-U missile system Armenia launched rocket attacks on Ganja, the second-largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of more than 500,000 people, which is located 80 kilometers from the front line. Armenia deliberately launched the missile attack in the early morning to inflict maximum loss among the sleeping people, the NGOs said.

As a result of the brutal attack three residential buildings were destroyed, 10 people killed (among them were a child and women) and over 40 civilians were injured.

Armenia’s multiple rocket attacks on Ganja on other Azerbaijani cities during the 44-day war once again demonstrated that the aggressor does not care about the resolutions, statements and appeals of international organizations, ignores the norms of international law, in particular the Geneva Convention of 1949. The only reason for this is Armenia's impunity and the absence of any international sanctions against the aggressor, the appeal noted.

It stressed that Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive operation and liberated its occupied lands during the 44-day war in response to Armenia’s provocations on September 27, 2020.

Being unable to prevent Azerbaijan on the battleground, the Armenian political and military leadership targeted Azerbaijan’s civil settlements located far from the combat zone using heavy weapons, including artillery and ballistic missiles, the NGOs said.

The Armenian political and military leaders committed war crimes by brutally killing civilians, in particular women and children and inflicting serious damages on civilian property and infrastructure, the appeal added.

It should be noted that the appeal was signed by the heads of 89 Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations.

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