Human Rights Activist: The displacement of  Artsakh People is a link  in  the ongoing genocidal policy against Armenians 

ArmInfo.The forced displacement of the population of Artsakh in the fall of 2023 is a link in  the ongoing genocidal policy against Armenians, as stated  by Artak Beglaryan, head of the Artsakh Union public organization and  former NKR Ombudsman, at a press conference in Yerevan. 

He noted that the term "ethnic cleansing" is most often used today,  while the word "genocide" is rarely used in the context of what  happened to the people of Artsakh. Beglaryan clarified that this is  often  due to the misconception that genocide necessitates a massive  death toll. However, genocides are not limited to the scale of  victims, but also take into account intentions and their  consequences. 

In this regard, the head of the Artsakh Union NGO called for dividing  the events of 2020 into five stages.  "The first stage was the  military aggression from September 27 to November 9, 2020 (the 44-day  war). The second stage, from November 10, 2020 to December 12, 2022,  was a more passive stage, during which the Armenian trace was  actively erased in the occupied territories, as well as attempts were  made to find military-political loopholes in order to occupy the  remaining part of Artsakh and physically or psychologically destroy  the remaining Armenian population there. The third stage was the  blockade, which is an example of active genocidal actions. The fourth  stage was the military aggression of September 19-20, 2023 and the  forced displacement of the entire Armenian population of Artsakh. And  finally, the fifth stage, in which the people of Artsakh are still  experiencing today, is the destruction of cultural heritage and  property in occupied Artsakh and, at the same time, an attempt to  conceal what is happening with the complicity of the Armenian  authorities," Beglaryan noted.

Beglaryan noted that these events fall under Article 2, Paragraph (a)  of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of  Genocide, which concerns the killing of members of an ethnic group.  He stated this occurred during the military actions of 2020 and 2023,  as well as through the blockade. In this context, he recalled that 80  civilians are currently considered victims of enforced disappearance,  while approximately 100 civilians were killed in 2020 and 21 in 2023.

"Paragraph (b) of Article 2 of the Convention cites the causing of  serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group. During the  Azerbaijani aggression, hundreds of cases of civilian injuries were  recorded. Furthermore, we must distinguish psychological terror,  including the dissemination via media resources of cases involving  decapitation and other forms of torture," Beglaryan stated.

All of this, he said, was documented not only by them, but also by  the international community and various experts and human rights  organizations. As the head of the Artsakh Union organization  recalled, for example, human rights activist Juan Mendez, in a report  published in November 2023, characterized the events as genocide and  clearly documented the serious psychological harm inflicted on the  Artsakh population. "The capture of Artsakh's military and political  leadership is also proof of the act of genocide," Beglaryan noted.   He emphasized that these findings were documented not only by local  advocates but also by the international community and various human  rights organizations. For instance, he cited human rights expert Juan  Mendez, who, in a report published in November 2023, characterized  the events as genocide and explicitly stated that the population of  Artsakh suffered serious psychological harm. "The capture of  Artsakh's military and political leadership is also proof of the act  of genocide," Beglaryan added.

In conclusion, he stressed the necessity of continuing the struggle  for justice and the prevention of further genocidal acts against the  Armenian people. "Beyond this, we must protect our cultural heritage  and continue to raise the issue of the return of the Artsakh  population. The primary condition for preventing genocide is the  eradication of the policy of Armenophobia, which serves as the  ideological foundation of Azerbaijan's strategy. Naturally, this  includes the strengthening of Armenia through the lens of historical  lessons," Beglaryan said.