Page 43 - KDK

The Report on Human Rights Violations Committed by the
42 Armenian Armed Forces during Azerbaijan & Armenia War

The attacks that started on September 27 killed 94 civilian citizens of Azerbaijan,
including 27 women and 12 children, also injuring 414 civilians. It is striking
in terms of international humanitarian law that during the attacks of Armenian
forces, civilian settlements far from the conflict zone were targeted, prohibited

heavy artillery and indiscriminate munitions were used in the said attacks, and
private civilian property, schools, hospitals, sanctuaries and public buildings were
damaged. As confirmed by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,
Ganja and Barda, were attacked with ballistic missiles and cluster munitions
despite their civilian population and distance to the conflict zone. These attacks
killed 53 and injured more than 200 civilians in the two districts. The destruction
in Ganja was directly confirmed by field visits. Dead bodies of children removed
from the debris aggravated the pain even further. Geneva Conventions of 1949 and
Additional Protocols of 1977 forming the basis of the International Humanitarian
Law, and the Rome Statute of ICC confirm that the attacks of Armenia constitute a
war crime. While International Humanitarian Law is intended to protect civilians
and does prohibit any activity that may damage civilians, Armenia directly
targeted civilians and civilian structures without making a distinction between
civilian property and military targets and used disproportionate weapons.

According to the Additional Protocol 1 to the Geneva Conventions; “Works or
installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical
generating stations, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack
may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the
civilian population should not be attacked.” During the inspection visit, it has been
personally witnessed that although the biggest energy plant and dam reservoir

of the South Caucasia Region are located the city of Mingachevir, the city was
exposed to the attacks of ballistic missiles prohibited by the conventions, which
was considered as deliberate war crime. It was just mere luck that the missiles did
not hit the dam and hydroelectric plant which would have caused the human
settlements to be submerged and would have led a severe increase in the death toll.

Even though the truce was signed on 10 November 2020, putting a halt on the
attacks, 94 civilians lost their lives among whom 12 were children. It is apparent
that the survivors of these attacks shall not overcome the agony and traumas