Marlena Arustamyan was displaced from Kichan village of Martakert region of Artsakh. She told in the framework of “Artsakh: Armenian Genocide 2023. Stories of Survivors” documentary project of Iravaban.net  that on 19 September, when Azerbaijan launched its attack, she was in the hospital with her young son. “As soon as the IV (intravenous) tube for the baby was turned on, it started. We went down to the basement with the intravenous tube All that is unforgettable. The connection was cut off, and my eldest son was with my mother-in-law in the village.”

Then it turned out that the children and women were moved to another village on foot and in “Kamaz” vehicles. According to Marlena, the few days before leaving Artsakh were like hell. She was in the hospital in those days. After staying in the basement for 2 days, the shootings became less.

“There was news that the Turks were coming to the hospital. We could also hear the sounds of automatic gun fire. The condition of the wounded children was unforgettable. They were crying, they were telling the doctors: are you going to leave us here? I will not forget the Chief Doctor of the Children’s Hospital, came and hugged us, he said: I will not leave until I take the last child out of the hospital, don’t be afraid. And so it happened, the Chief Doctor stayed with us until the end,” Marlena said.

Even before leaving, an accident happened in the family of our hero, Marlena’s husband got burns during the explosion of the fuel storage. He is currently undergoing treatment in Spain. “The grief of leaving the homeland and the condition of my husband was terrifying, it was like hell. We traveled were on the way with small children for 2 days. The Azerbaijanis did not carry out such an inspection, but their faces were unforgettable. Their eyes were just shining that they had won, that we were leaving our country.”

Marlena could not answer the question without tears, “What did you leave in Artsakh?” He said that they left everything, they did not bring anything. They brought only their memories.

“After entering Armenia, I was impressed by the fact that when sweets were thrown from the window of the car, the children were very happy. The attitude in Goris…we felt that we had come home. The children were hungry, when they gave them food; I saw how happy the children were. It is a pity that in the 21st century, in fact, children are hungry. The child is happy when he sees food, that pain is terrible,” Marlena recalled.

She excludes the integration proposed by Azerbaijan. She said: How can one live with a nation that slaughters Armenian children? “I witnessed it in the hospital. Wounded children were brought there. I saw the condition of the mother whose 2 children were killed by the Azerbaijanis, one child was in a serious condition, and they could not save it. How can we live when your child is killed and constantly threatened? They do not have the right to be called human.”

The children of Kichan village even stayed a night in the forest. They did not move from their places, as they were afraid that if they turn on the light, the enemy will notice and start shooting.

Marlena’s children ask every day when they will return to Artsakh. “When they went to school on the first day, they came crying and said, ‘Why is our teacher not teaching us, where is our teacher?’ Every day before going to bed, the little ones ask why we do not sleep in our places, when are we going to go home. Children are under stress, it is difficult for them too. They cry when you cannpt answer the questions.”

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“Artsakh: Armenian Genocide 2023. Stories of Survivors” documentary project of Iravaban.net is aimed at collecting the memories and testimonies of citizens forcibly displaced from Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijan, about the genocide of the Armenians of Artsakh committed by Azerbaijan, atrocities, the days of war, the path of deportation, etc.

Iravaban.net seeks help from citizens who will voluntarily agree to translate materials into different languages: Russian, English, French, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Georgian, Chinese…

You can write to our e-mail address at: [email protected]

To donate for realization of the project: https://iravaban.net/en/become-a-supporter

Details in the video.