Armenia violates the humanitarian ceasefire, commits a war crime by attacking residential neighborhood with missiles and killing scores of civilians
10/13/2020
PRESS RELEASE
Despite the humanitarian cease-fire agreed during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow, with the purpose of exchange of prisoners of war and bodies of dead effective as of 12:00 pm on October 10, 2020, the armed forces of Armenia continue to attack the residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
Immediately after the establishment of the humanitarian ceasefire, the armed forces of Armenia fired on Aghdam and Tartar regions of Azerbaijan. A few hours later, armed forces of Armenia tried to attack in the direction of Hadrut and Jabrayil.
The Armenian side subjected to missile attacks the city of Mingachevir, located 40 km away from the front line, which also hosts the largest water reservoir in the South Caucasus. 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.
On the night of October 11, an apartment building in a central neighborhood of Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan, located approximately 40 km away from the frontline, came under the missile attack by the armed forces of Armenia.[1] The missile hitting the apartment building ruined it fully (see the video footage)[2], and its residents remained under rubble (see images in the annex). According to the latest information, 10 civilians including 4 women were killed and 34 others, including 16 women and minors were severely injured.[3] 2 kids lost their both parents. In addition, 10 apartment buildings and more than 100 various facilities were extensively damaged.
Over the last two weeks 42 Azerbaijani civilians were killed and over 200 people wounded.[4] Deliberate and systematic targeting of civilian settlements and objects, as well as infrastructure of vital importance by the armed forces of Armenia is a gross violation of International Humanitarian Law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and constitutes a war crime.
ANNEX
4 Pages
The Attack on Ganja in International Media
16-year-old Sevil Aliyeva carries portraits of her parents during the funeral. His brother, 8-year-old Huseyn Aliyev, is crying on the shoulders of his relatives. His parents Anar Aliyev and Nurchin Aliyeva were killed in a rocket attack by the Armenian in Ganja.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/azerbaijan-armenia-report-shelling-of-cities-despite-truce/2020/10/11/f620184e-0bb2-11eb-b404-8d1e675ec701_story.html; https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8828119/Heavy-shelling-dash-hopes-Russian-backed-ceasefire-Armenia-Azerbaijan.html; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A12-oqFcXgQ
[2] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/newsalerts/video-2267632/Video-Azerbaijan-Man-runs-cover-moment-Ganja-explosion.html