Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

HCA Vanadzor presents a summary information paper on Azerbaijani attacks on settlements and deaths of civilians caused by Azerbaijani missile artillery attacks. 

October 2

During the night of 2 October 2020, 4 UAVs of Azerbaijani armed forces appeared also in the air territory of Kotayk and Gegharkunik regions of the Republic of Armenia. The UAVs weredestroyed by the Armenian air defense forces. RA Prime Minister NikolPashinyan informed about this on his Facebook page.

On October 2, at around 14:00, RA MoD representative ArtsrunHovhannisyan informed on his Facebook pagethat Azerbaijani armed forces targeted Stepanakert, the capital city of Artsakh, and as a result of missile strikes launched on the city, civilian infrastructures were greatly damaged. There are injured persons among the civilian population.

As the Armenian Unified Infocenter informs, Artsakh Rescue Service was also damaged. The Rescue Service building was partially destroyed with broken windows, collapsed walls and damaged cars strewn throughout the parking lot. 10 civilians were wounded. Their life is not in danger.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender ArtakBeglaryan also made a post in his Facebook page concerning the civilian objects targeted and those wounded as a result of missile strikes launched on Stepanakert. He mentioned that there had been three strikes on Stepaanakert and that there was no information regarding the victims yet. 

Earlier, at12:00, then at14:00 ,Azerbaijani armed forces struckHadrut town of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh with Smerch weapon and cluster bombs, there are wounded persons among the civilian population, whose number is not known yet. RA MoD representative ArtsrunHovhannisyan informed about this.

On October 2, at 18:00, MoD representative ArtsrunHovhannisyan also informed that civilian objects were also being targeted by ballistic missiles and probably LORA missiles. 

At 18:00, Armenian Unified Infocenter disseminated information  that journalists were again targeted in Artsakh. A minibus transporting international and local journalists was damaged as a result of shelling in Martakert, no one was wounded. 

October 1 - updated

According to the information published in the evening if October 1 in the frame of fact collection mission of the Republic of Artsakh Human Rights Defender, 4 civilians were killed and 11 civilians were wounded as a result of Azerbaijani armed forces targeting the civilian population in the town of Martuni in the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh. Among those wounded there are also reporters, two of whom, as already known, are journalists of Le Monde newspaper: Yaghobzaden Rafael Charles and Alan Cavall. The latter’s state is assessed as serious and he was operated on in Stepanakert. The other reporter was operated on in the hospital of Martuni, as his state was not severe. [1]

The car transporting the reporters was also damaged. The driver has a slight injury on his abdomen.

According to the data of “Hetq”, a young resident of Martuni is also among the victims of October 1. He had joined the group of reporters to accompany them, as he was familiar with the territory.[2]

Later, an Azerbaijani strike UAV fired a missile in the direction of Shatvan village of  Gegharkunik region of the Republic of Armenia, on Mets Masrik settlement. As a result of the shelling, Gevorg Vardanyan, born in 1967, was killed, 2 civilians got injuries of different degrees.  [3]

At this moment, there are 13 victims among the civilian population. 11 of them were killed in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, 2 of them were killed in the territory of the Republic of Armenia (Gegharkunik region).

[1]https://factor.am/289574.html

[2]https://hetq.am/hy/article/122325?fbclid=IwAR1hsILhPgx_KuvcdlRHz0TT6Mjr5MCXr7Y4afQ1cqa7InYgaWW2rF3pZzE#.X3XWoIeUxUk.facebook , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1029846.html

[3]https://armeniasputnik.am/armenia/20201001/24713253/gexarquniqum-hakarakordy-hretanie-kirarel-zoh-viravorner-unenq.html

October 1

Civilian population was again in the target of Azerbaijani attacks. Armenian and foreign media representatives were also injured.

Azerbaijani armed forces hit the civilian population of Hadrut (Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh) with artillery fire.[1]

Azerbaijani shelling left media representatives injured. Moreover, among the injured, there are representatives from both the Armenian and foreign media.

2 reporters (citizens of France) of Le Monde  were injured as a result of Azerbaijan’s bombardment in Martuni (Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh). They are being taken to hospital in Martuni.[2]

Dmitri Yelovski, deputy director of “Dozhd” TV company, was also under shelling. He was transferred to a bomb shelter[3].

At the moment of bombing, CivilNet’s group of 5 cameramen was also in Martuni and appeared under “Grad” shelling. Journalist Tatul Hakobyan reported that they had not been injured. As the journalist informs, Azerbaijani side hits civilian objects[4].

Azerbaijani shelling also injured Aram Grigoryan, Armenia TV company’s “Zham” newscast operator, when he was covering military actions. The injury is slight.[5]

24News reporter Sevak Vardumyan was also in the group of journalists who appeared under the targeted fire of Azerbaijani armed forces in Martuni (Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh). He got an injury on his back and is on the way to hospital at the moment[6].

[1]https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30868119.html

[2]https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30868088.html

[3]https://www.24news.am/index.php/news/125541

[4]https://www.24news.am/news/125520

[5]https://www.24news.am/news/125540

[6]https://www.24news.am/news/125551?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=73bf4e644875623390637f377199e003e358129d-1601554694-0-Aaxa7klb_hnqVmz0L9ukAQcomZdsSYwUf4HwAQXjEkf-8Bn1MrIVoLp7kR2glpOmPHZVRVkASZG5CQO87Bf6Wdsizt8pZVjxIaHHXo9-4ww1ZAn9h9hJFFnfMGyo91JflEdy0mKRzcnY6xDdOMkdqe-n7vU5Eu7Hy1DDh0CshtoUsaHgNd6clNV801CBHp2rnzxPFRBXSk4_53LLFnEoNm4rlX5qw49zBJtAX8J9wVn1SWYK19zoe8vIwxpVXnebt0h9FNfimSUEmXza7cjRv2lK3mdWWnOBULHS5T8LSHgF

September 30

Azerbaijan’s military jet bombarded the city of Martakert (Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh), leaving three civilians dead and some others wounded.

At this moment, there are 8 victims among the civilian population.

It should be mentioned that during the night two UAVs of the adversary were noticed in the sky in Stepanakert. The two UAVs were downed.

According to the data presented in the frame of fact collection mission by the Republic of Artsakh Human Rights Defender’s Office, there are 30 persons with serious body injuries as a result of military actions, 23 of which are male and 7 of which are female. 22 of them were wounded at their houses or near their house as a result of projectile explosion. Moreover, in two cases, the projectile exploded in the yard of a multiple apartment building.

6 citizens were wounded while being transferred to a relatively safer place, as a result of the targeting and striking of a passenger car, 2 citizens were wounded in other public places.

Those injured mainly got their injuries on arms, legs and face in the form of fragment strikes.

10 of them were injured in the city of Stepanakert or nearby areas, 1 in Hadrut regional center Hadrut city, 3 in Taghaser community, 1 in Vardashat community of the same region, 5 in Martuni regional center Martuni city, 1 in Spitakashen community, 4 in Martakert region Maghavuz community’s nearby area, 2 in N. Horatagh community, 1 in Madaghis community of the same region, 2 in Shahumyan region Karavajar community.

In total, there are more than 200 injured civilians at the moment.

September 27-29

September 27

As Vahram Poghosyan, Press Secretary of Artsakh, and Artak Beglaryan, Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, inform, in the early morning of 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale air and missile artillery attack along the entire Artsakh-Azerbaijani contact line, targeting also numerous civilian settlements and infrastructure, including the Artsakh capital Stepanakert[1].

 Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), c. Stepanakert

As a result of the shelling, there are victims and casualties among the civilian population. 2 civilians, i.e. 1 woman and 1 child were killed in Martuni.

Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), c. Martuni

Later on the same day, Artak Beglaryan, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, informed that Azerbaijan shelled and used combat UAVs to strike all the major cities, namely, Stepanakert, Askeran, Martakert, Martuni, Hadrut and Shushi, as well as a number of small settlements.   

Besides the 2 confirmed  victims, there are dozens injured among the civilian population.

Along with residential houses, schools and kindergartens were also shelled in Stepanakert. There is large-scale damage to civilian infrastructures in numerous settlements[2]. Educational institutions are closed in Artsakh for an indefinite period of time. [3]

Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), c. Stepanakert

September 28

According to RA MoD representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan, Martakert and the nearby settlements continue to remain under  attack.[4]

There are destructions in various villages of Hadrut region. 1 person died and 4 were injured.[5]

Yeghishe Kirakosyan, representative of the Republic of Armenia before the European Court of Human Rights, presented to the court facts on Azerbaijani armed forces targeting settlements, civilian objects and population. Armenia requests the Court to use an interim measure against Azerbaijan, which has made an armed attack on Artsakh since early morning of September 27.[6]

September 29

According to the statement of RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Azerbaijani armed forces struck at Vardenis region military and civilian infrastructure by targeting civilian population, as a result of which 1 civilian died.

A civilian bus in Vardenis was destroyed by fire as a result of being struck by an Azerbaijani UAV.[7]

Republic of Armenia, c. Vardenis

In the frame of fact collection mission initiated by the Republic of Artsakh Human Rights Defender, the names of 4 civilians were published, who died during 27-29 September in civilian settlements as a result of Azerbaijani shelling and UAV strikes.

📌Victoria Gevorgyan, c. Martuni, born in 2011, killed as a result of shelling in the yard of her house. At the same time, V. Gevorgyan’s mother and brother got injuries.

📌Ellada Balayan, c. Martuni, born in 1961, killed as a result of shelling in the yard of her house.

📌Lesmonia Stepanyan, c. Hadrut, born in 1941, killed by a UAV strike in the yard of her house. Back in 1992, L. Stepanyan lost her arm as a result of mine explosion in her yard.

📌Erik Grigoryan, c. Stepanakert, born in 1996, killed as a result of shelling near Mets Shen village in Martakert region. (The case became known only as a result of he mentioned report).

On September 28, RA Human Rights Defender also disseminated photos and a report, where he touched upon the aggressive air and missile attacks of 27 September 2020 on ethnic Armenian residents of Artsakh, which were accompanied by hate speech. In the report of the Human Rights Defender, it was particularly mentioned,

“Monitoring of mass media and especially social networks has revealed hatred and incitement to hatred and calls for violence, including calls for killings spread from Turkish and Azerbaijani sources. At the same time, extensive number of social network individual and group pages spread videos and texts containing hatred towards Armenians, scenes of violence and calls for killing and destruction. Significant number of fake profiles is with Armenian names and surnames, which also send messages to real Armenian accounts with threats and intimidations”.

The Human Rights Defender’s monitoring of September 27 and 28 indicates that the mentioned materials are disseminated on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and other social networks. The Human Rights Defender’s discussions with the relevant specialists show that the social network is more dangerous, as it is not possible to control it in many matters.

The Human Rights Defender called on parents and children to be cautious regarding social networks and exclude using especially the TikTok social network.

On September 29, during the press conference, he spoke about Azerbaijani air and missile attacks on Armenia, particularly peaceful population of Vardenis region villages (watch from 4:33), as a result of which there are  victims.

The Human Rights Defender sent these monitoring results to UN Human Rights Council and other international organizations.

Thus, during September 27-29, 5 civilians (4 in Artsakh and 1 in the Republic of Armenia) were killed as a result of air and missile artillery attacks on the entire Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

2 of those who died in Artsakh were from Martuni, 1 was from Hadrut, 1 was from Stepanakert. The name, age and gender of 1 person who was killed in Armenia are not known yet. The person was from Vardenis city.

[1]https://www.facebook.com/ArtsakhOmbuds/posts/1671191603047995,https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30860180.html

[2]https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30860234.html

[3]https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30860395.html

[4]https://www.facebook.com/arcrun/posts/3385725618129689

[5]https://times.am/?p=286817&l=am

[6]https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30862838.html

[7]https://armeniasputnik.am/armenia/20200929/24659102/vardenis-zoh-anna-naxdalyan.html