Ms Anya Avanesyan, 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, about the nine-month siege of Artsakh.
“There was nothing, the shops were empty, all was bought. We simply had to make both ends meet with whatever we had. Then the cost of a kilogram of sugar became 3000 drams, oil 12,000 drams. Everything was expensive, the products were brought from here and there, and sold. We had to buy as we have small ones, so that they would not strive. One canister of gasoline cost 70,000 AMD. Sometimes we bought some to take the children to the hospital when they got sick,” she said.
She remembers the aggression of 19 September with tears. It was her grandson’s birthday, they had just got engaged, they had gathered with their in-laws to celebrate, but…
“We had a hotel there, a recreation area. We went and bought meat from the villages. We kept chicken, there was beef, and we had a pig as well. We had lit toaster to bake bread. And suddenly, there was a strong explosion. My first words were: look where Tigrans is. After that, that some more explosion took place. My son went to the village in a Kamaz to find out what happened. They sent him back from there, they told to put everyone in the “Kamazov” and take then to the hiding place, the Turks have attacked. My daughter-in-law and a few other girls stayed to bake the bread. I saw people on the road, they had a stretcher in their hands, I asked what happened, they said, ‘There are two victims, one wounded, we are going to take that wounded out.’ We stayed in the hiding place all night. We wanted to go out, and were told that the drone was taking pictures. The next day we were told that the Turks have already entered the village, they will reach the center soon. I went to our house at the last moment. My pigs were eating each other, they were hungry, I went and fed them, gave wheat to the chickens, I thought that I would come back again. I came up with the idea to take my jewelry. I took an electric kettle and a small mattress with me. We left on 24 September,” she said.
Ms. Anya tells that her friend’s son was slaughtered by the enemy.
“I will not take my children back. Now, whenever a loud noise comes from above, my great-grandson runs to the door so that someone will take him out of that room. There will be no reconciliation or living with the Turk, they are doing his job. My daughter-in-law’s brother was killed, he is in the buried in a mass grave, they promised to bring him,” she said.
“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…
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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
