Ten ethnic Armenians moved to Armenia from Artsakh

Ten ethnic Armenians, who remained in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) after the 2023 hostilities, have been transferred to Armenia, Armenia’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Arsen Torosyan reports.

In a statement on Friday. Torosyan said the individuals, along with one Armenian citizen of Russian ethnicity, had submitted requests to both Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities to relocate.

Last month, conflict reporter Lindsey Snell said on social media platform X that Armenians who remained in Nagorno-Karabakh lacked access to mobile communications and the internet, and were unable to speak freely with relatives without supervision. She also reported that Azerbaijani authorities had confiscated their Armenian passports without issuing Azerbaijani documents, leaving them effectively stateless.

In September, Azerbaijani authorities arrested Karen Avanesyan, an ethnic Armenian who had stayed behind in Stepanakert. He was later sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of alleged illegal possession of weapons and armed resistance to police.