Artsakh ombudsman strongly condemns deliberate targeting of civilians by Azerbaijan

On September 30, Artak Beglaryan, Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Artsakh, was informed that 3 civilians, 2 women and a man, had been killed and another wounded as a result of Azerbaijani air strike on the civilian areas of the town of Martakert. The personal information of the injured is being clarified, the Ombudsman’s Office said in a statement.

“The ombudsman expresses condolences to the families of the victims and strongly condemns the deliberate and continued targeting of civilian population and facilities that leads to major loss of life and property.

“The ombudsman states that Azerbaijan is grossly violating the norms of the international humanitarian law by shelling civilian settlements intentionally and in a non-discriminatory manner,” the statement read.

The human rights defender calls upon the international community and human rights organizations to give due assessment to the actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces and to make full use of its toolbox to prevent wide-scale and atrocious violations of the rights of the Artsakh population. 

In the early morning of September 27, Azerbaijan launched a massive air and artillery attack on the Artsakh military positions and numerous civilian settlements and infrastructure in the country, including capital Stepanakert. Artsakh civilians were urged to take shelter.