By Cavid Shahverdiyev
In response to the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, from September 27, 2020, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan began the Patriotic War for the liberation of occupied territories under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. In the struggle to preserve the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the soldiers, officers and the people as a whole, with their determination, will and unity, united under the Azerbaijani national flag inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy.
However, unable to withstand the victorious march of the Azerbaijani army, the Armenian armed forces resorted to provocations and committed war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure at several places inside Azerbaijan. Faced with heavy defeats in the battlefield, Armenia reacted to every new success of Azerbaijani army, in such a cowardly way. The Armenian army has repeatedly struck the Azerbaijani cities and towns far from the battlefield, there were no military facilities and where only civilians lived, which ultimately led to the mass casualties of the civilian population.
The first such attack occurred on October 4, 2020, resulting in the death of one civilian and more than 30 civilians injured. The second missile strike occurred on October 5, 2020. As a result of the attack, three civilians were injured. The third missile attack took place on October 8, 2020. The fourth rocket attack occurred on October 11, 2020, killing 10 civilians and injuring more than 40. The attack took place one day after the signing of the Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement and that led to the first violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Armenian side. The fifth rocket attack on civilians occurred on October 17, 2020. As a result of rocket attacks on civilians, 16 people were killed, 55 were injured. Also, as a result of rocket attacks by the Armenian Armed Forces on October 27, 2020 in the village of Garayusifli in the Barda region and on October 28 in the city of Barda, 27 people were killed and more than 70 were injured. From September 27, 2020 to October 30, 2020, more than 182 points became enemy targets, and more than 27,000 shells and 218 missiles were fired at these points. The largest number of rockets was fired at the cities of Goranboy, Fizuli, Barda and Ganja, while the cities of Tartar and Aghdam suffered from the largest number of bullet strikes.
However, the most injured were in Barda – 27, Ganja – 26 and Tartar – 17. As a result of the missiles fired by Armenia from September 27 to October 30. As a result 98 civilians died, 414 were injured, 2,442 houses were destroyed, 92 high-rise buildings and 423 civilian objects. Among the dead were children, elderly men and women. As a result of the strikes, 13 commercial infrastructure and facilities were also damaged. 17 religious sites were damaged, including mosques, churches and cemeteries. Also, 3 historical monuments in Ganja, Tartar and Aghdam were also damaged.
By targeting the civilian population, Armenia also violated the 1949 Geneva Conventions. These conventions and the protocols annexed to them establish the right to provide assistance to the civilian population and, in general, to ensure the proper treatment of persons protected by humanitarian law. The infliction of strikes against the civilian population by the enemy was in itself considered a terrorist act and shocked the whole world. Moreover, the implementation of these measures with the use of prohibited weapons doubled Armenian aggression. The rockets fired by the Armenians at Azerbaijani cities were cluster-type rockets, the use of which is prohibited in densely populated areas and settlements. Thus, Armenia grossly violated the international treaty of the Cluster Weapons Convention (CCM). Switzerland, as President of the Convention on Cluster Weapons, has stated that it is very concerned about reports of the alleged use of cluster munitions in the Karabakh conflict. Switzerland urged parties to the conflict to fully comply with international humanitarian law and not to use cluster munitions.
The Swiss government said it regrets the use of ammunition, even though 10 years have passed since the entry into force of the Cluster Weapons Convention. It should be noted that the Armenian side used chemical weapons during the Khojaly genocide, as well as against prisoners and hostages during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories in 1991-92, who died.
The bodies of the victims showed signs of the use of chemical weapons, which served as evidence that the Armenians used chemical weapons against these people. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also confirmed attacks on Azerbaijani civilians and infrastructure using banned cluster bombs.
After that, in accordance with the requirements of the international convention, preventive measures should be taken against activities, including the use, development, production, acquisition, collection and storage of cluster munitions by Armenia. Although the terrible events shook the whole world, our people, showing a sense of unity and will, continued to support the Supreme Commander and the army with greater determination and courage. Armenia will have to answer before international law for its crimes against humanity and state terrorism.
In the norms of international law, damage caused by a subject of international law in violation of its obligations to another equal subject is considered as absolute non-responsibility and is subject to punishment. These issues are regulated by both the UN Security Council and the UN Court, as well as the International Criminal Court. The events of September 27 made it possible to demand compensation from Armenia in five out of six categories. Azerbaijan showed the whole world the scale of Armenia’s reckless terrorist acts, and that the Armenians pursued an anti-humanitarian military policy.
By inflicting heavy civilian casualties deep inside Azerbaijan, Armenia futilely tried to provoke Azerbaijan to violate international law in a bid to encourage global players such as Russia, the US and the EU to intervene and transform the conflict into a regional war. Suffice it to say here that it is the responsibility of the International legal mechanisms to hold the Armenian side accountable for the war crimes it has committed in the six week war. Convert
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Cavid Shahverdiyev is a Chairman of the Azerbaijan Public Union for the Development of Democratic Reforms, editor-in-chief of the Eurasian News Agency, and has been active in the Azerbaijani media for about 30 years.