Human Rights Violations in Artsakh: Starvation, Isolation, and Cultural Loss

Human Rights Violations in Artsakh: Starvation, Isolation, and Cultural Loss

By Guest Writer Tatiana Gnuva Image: "Ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh evacuated from their homes" by Mil.ru is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED. Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as “Artsakh,” was home to 120,000 people, most of whom were ethnic Armenians. Artsakh is isolated from the Republic of Armenia and is only connected to the country through the Lachin corridor. The independent republic of Artsakh functioned as a de-facto breakaway Armenian state yet was long claimed by Azerbaijan. For centuries, Artsakh was a primarily Armenian region, but in the early 1920s, it was incorporated into the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic under the decision of the USSR’s Joseph Stalin. Starting in December of 2022 and lasting over ten months, Azerbaijan slowly implemented its strategy to claim the territory. The country’s actions plunged the region into poverty and insecurity, dramatically lowering human rights standards. In December of 2022, Azerbaijani protestors blocked the corridor, effectively limiting movement to Artsakh. The protestors masqueraded as an environmental demonstration to...
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Turkey’s Alarming Regional Intervention Continues to Affect Minority Communities with Impunity, This Time in Azerbaijan

Turkey’s Alarming Regional Intervention Continues to Affect Minority Communities with Impunity, This Time in Azerbaijan

By Guest Contributors Anoush Baghdassarian and Sherin Zadah Tucked away into the southern caucasus is a region struggling for survival, not against COVID-19, but against yet another offensive by Turkey, this time in Azerbaijan, targeting the region's minority populations.   On Sept. 27, 2020, a war broke out in the Republic of Artsakh, also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). The conflict is mainly between Armenia, the ethnic Armenians of NKR, and Azerbaijan, but Turkey is also a player in the conflict; it has pledged support for Azerbaijan, closing its border with Armenia and reaffirming Azerbaijan’s claims to territorial integrity.  Amid the current crisis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to “support our Azerbaijani brothers with all our means as always,” including military assistance. This manifested into a coordinated premeditated attack against one of its historic minority communities — the Armenians. This follows shortly after Turkey’s crimes against the Kurds, another one of its repeatedly persecuted ethnic groups. Turkey launched a targeted military campaign...
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