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On-Site Investigation Report on Human Rights in Karabakh

1. Executive Summary

arabakh, which has hosted many civilizations throughout history and is a
Kpart of the State of Azerbaijan within the scope of international law, has
been the subject of violence and wars between the States of Armenia and
Azerbaijan since 1988. Armenia occupied 7 rayons (districts) in and around
Nagorno-Karabakh and continued its occupation, which lasted for 30 years,
despite the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions and UN Gen-
eral Assembly Resolutions that demanded its withdrawal from the occupied
Azerbaijani territories. In this period, the efforts of the Organisation for Secu-
rity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group were also inconclusive
in achieving peace in the region.

Finally, on the morning of 27 September 2020, the Armed Forces of Armenia
broke the ceasefire and intensely fired the Azerbaijani army and the rayon of
Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Jabrayil with heavy weapons. The conflicts, which
shifted from the battlefield to civilian settlements and during which many
civilians lost their lives, ended with the statement signed between Arme-
nia, Azerbaijan, and the Russian Federation on 10 November 2020. With the
aforementioned statement, the occupation of Azerbaijan’s lands by Armenia
came to an end, and hundreds of thousands of people who had to leave their
homes and migrate from their own lands due to the conflicts and occupa-
tion had the opportunity to return home. On the other hand, many regions,
especially Aghdam, were mined by Armenia during the occupation period.
From 10 November 2020, when the region was liberated, to October 2021, the
mines killed or injured 65 civilians. The minefields, which threaten the life
of all living things, are the biggest obstacle for internally displaced people
(IDPs) to return to their homes. Clearing mines can take many years. This will
continue to be an obstacle to the rebuilding of the city and to any economic

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