Fifth interim report on violations by Armenia of international humanitarian law

BAKU, (DN) - On September 27, 2020 the armed forces of Armenia, blatantly violating the ceasefire regime have launched another aggression against Azerbaijan, by intensively attacking the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan along the frontline, as well as by deliberately subjecting to artillery shelling residential areas of Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts.

On the following days, densely populated residential areas – Shamkir, Beylagan, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Goranboy, Tartar, Barda, Aghjabadi and the city of Ganja were subjected to heavy bombardment, including with mid-range missiles.

As a result, there have been casualties among civilians and military servicemen of Azerbaijan. Extensive damage has been inflicted on many houses and other civilian infrastructure.

The new aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan is yet another blatant violation of fundamental norms and principles of international law, IHL, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its Additional Protocols, as well as the United Nations Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884 of 1993 demanding the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

According to preliminary estimation, as of October 30, totally 91 civilians, including children, women and elderly have been killed, more than 400 civilians have been wounded as a consequence of heavy artillery shelling. As of October 29, 2406 private houses, 92 apartment buildings and 423 civilian facilities were damaged and became unserviceable as a result of armed attack.

Vehicles belonging to civilians became unserviceable, and numerous small and large horned animals and haystacks were destroyed as well. Extensive damage was inflicted upon water, energy and other civilian infrastructure.

The armed forces of Armenia do not even spare ambulances and medical facilities in a blatant violation of IHL, in particular Article 35 of the First Geneva Convention of 1949.

Also, a medical worker was seriously injured as a result of the shooting by the armed forces of Armenia of a sanitary medical vehicle, clearly marked with a white flag, collecting the bodies of Armenian soldiers in the area of Sugovshan.

Every time when the humanitarian ceasefire was agreed between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the armed forces of Armenia violated it by subjecting residential areas and civilian infrastructure in Azerbaijan, including the city of Ganja, Barda, Mingechevir and Gabala to bombardment by different types of missiles like Scud, Smerch, Tocka-U and etc, launched both from its own territory and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The latest humanitarian ceasefire of October 26 has already been repeatedly violated by the armed forces of Armenia.

Below are some of those cases recorded for the last two weeks: - Ganja – the 2nd biggest city, in which more than 331 000 people reside and which is located far from the frontline, was subjected to “SCUD/Elbrus” ballistic missile attack.

 

What are your thoughts on this? Please share with us in the comment section below.

====================================