The Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh reported.

We welcome the statement of of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect regarding the ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, by which the organisation warns about the humanitarian crisis situation created in Artsakh.

“For more than seven months Azerbaijani authorities have blockaded the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, precipitating a humanitarian crisis. The blockade has deprived over 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, including 30,000 children, of life-saving resources such as food, medicine, electricity and fuel.

The intentional and unlawful denial of humanitarian assistance may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Azerbaijani authorities must immediately lift the blockade of the Lachin corridor and allow for unhindered and safe passage of civilians and goods along the corridor, as well as guarantee unimpeded humanitarian access in line with international law and the order by the ICJ,” the statement said.

The alarming statements of the representatives of the international human rights community regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation created in Artsakh and the relevant assessments of the situation should serve as a basis for taking deterrent and punitive actions against Azerbaijan by various international actors.