Karine Baghishyan, forcibly displaced from the occupied Republic of Artsakh, told in the framework of “Artsakh: Armenian Genocide 2023. Stories of Survivors” documentary project of Iravaban.net, that she was forcibly displaced from Askeran region. There she worked as a librarian at a school.
She said that in 2020, they had to be displaced as a result of the 44-day war unleashed by the enemy.
“On 27 September, when the war started, we shall not move, I said: it will end soon. We went to school, we gave hope to children. Then we were told that we had to be displaced, there would be no other way. When we were leaving, I cannot tell you how those drones were passing over our car, it was unbearable. As soon as we left Shushi, they started bombing. Thanks God, we got out, but we couldn’t live peacefully here. Our land was calling us, we returned to Artsakh again. There we were told that they would give us a house in Astghashen. When our houses were already distributed, we did not know that this war should start, we did not expect it. For us, we lived quietly. I went out on 19 September, and saw they were already shooting. They weren’t shooting, they were hitting, in whatever way. We were trembling with fear, we didn’t know what to do. The neighbor came to take her two children, we all were sitting and crying we didn’t know what to do. I said, “What about my child?” My husband said, “I can’t stand it anymore, it’s been so long since there was nothing to eat.” I can’t say what happened on those two days,” Mrs. Karine said.
After the aggression of 19 September, her family stayed in the basement for several days. There was no fuel so they could leave the village.
“We had to go six kilometers to reach the city. Neighbors’ children also came to our house. They said: Aunt Karina, please do not go, keep us too. I said: What should Aunt Karina do, what can I do? Then we were told to go to Ivanyan, to the Russians, they will take us by bus from there. We turned to the village head, he said: wait, they are coming to evacuate. And we were very close to the enemy, they were shooting nearby. We sat down and waited for evacuation. Therw was only our cry, nothing else. We could see the convoy of cars moving. I was afraid for my husband, he is disabled of the second group. I wanted to take him with the Red Cross, but I was afraid that they would do something to him like they did with Vagif Khachatryan,” our interlocutor said.
Mrs. Karine sdaid that there was an “Ural” vehicle, their neighbor put his car on that Ural, tied their car to the “Ural” and that’s how they got out.
“That’s how we came to Stepanakert, we said: let’s at least find fuel so that we can leave. They told us not to take anything with us. We have been on the road for 4 days. We stayed in Shushi for two days. I do not know what happened, this fear of how our children will live,” she said.
Our interlocutor says that there will be light and that it won’t stay like this.
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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.
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Details in the video.
Armenian Lawyers’ Association is the author of the idea “Artsakh: Armenian Genocide 2023. Stories of Survivors” documentary project of Iravaban.net and is the owner of copyright of the materials created within the framework of the project. In case of using the materials produced within the framework of the project, it is necessary to obtain the written permission of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association.
Hasmik Sargsyan
