International Association of Genocide Scholars condemns blockade of  Artsakh and calls for international community to hold Azerbaijan  accountable

ArmInfo. International Association of Genocide Scholars Executive and Advisory Boards made a statement condemning the Azerbaijani blockade of the Artsakh  (Nagorno-Karabakh).

As the press service of the Association reports, the statement reads,  in part: "The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS)  Executive and Advisory Boards strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blockade  of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the ongoing aggression against the  indigenous Armenian population of the region and warns of the risk of  genocide against the Armenian population of that entity. 

We reaffirm the IAGS Executive Board October 24, 2022 "Statement on  Azerbaijani Aggression Against the Republic of Armenia and the  Indigenous Armenians of the South Caucasus" and call for the  immediate lifting of the blockade. On December 12, 2022 the  government of Azerbaijan imposed a blockade on the enclave of Artsakh  (Nagorno-Karabakh) creating an ongoing humanitarian crisis for its  120,000 Armenian inhabitant, including 30,000 children and 20,000  elderly. Azerbaijani operatives, masquerading as so-called "eco-  activists," blocked the only land route, the Lachin Corridor, from  the Republic of Armenia to Artsakh thereby preventing food, medicine,  gas, and other vital goods from transiting into the region. Food and  gas are now rationed and electricity supplies interrupted. Schools  are closed, families separated, hospital patients endangered, and  normal life brought to a standstill. Azerbaijan's actions are a clear  violation of the human rights of the residents of Artsakh. 

The blockade and deliberate attacks on the critical infrastructure of  Artsakh are a violation of Article 11.1, Right to Adequate Standard  of Living and Article 12, The Right to Healthcare of International  Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: 

- During the blockade, Azerbaijan deliberately cut off the gas supply  four times: on December 13 (for 3 days), January 17 (for 1 day),  January 18 (for 3 days) and January 21. Gas supply was deliberately  earlier cut off in March 2022 for 20 days. 

-On January 9, 2023, the sole high-voltage line supplying electricity  to Artsakh from Armenia, was damaged in the Aghavno-Berdzor section  under Azerbaijani control. Azerbaijani authorities have not allowed  repair work to be conducted on the damaged section, necessitating the  implementation of rolling blackouts. 

-On January 12, 2023, the Azerbaijanis deliberately cut the sole  fiber-optic cable supplying Internet connection to Artsakh from  Armenia in the section of the Stepanakert-Goris highway where the  Azerbaijanis have established their blockade. 

This blockade is also in clear violation of the November 9, 2020  trilateral ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia between Armenia and  Azerbaijan that guaranteed unhindered access through the Lachin  Corridor.

As we noted in our October 24, 2022 statement: "Significant genocide  risk factors exist in the Nagorno-Karabakh situation concerning the  Armenian population." 

The government of Azerbaijan, encouraged by its ally Turkey, has long  promoted official hatred of Armenians, has fostered impunity for  atrocities committed against Armenians, and has issued repeated  threats to empty the region of its indigenous Armenian population. In  order to remove the risk of genocide, the International Association  of Genocide Scholars Executive and Advisory Boards calls upon  Azerbaijan: 

- to cease its orchestration and support of the alleged 'protests'  blocking uninterrupted free movement along the Lachin Corridor in  both directions. 

- to ensure uninterrupted free movement of all persons, vehicles, and  cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. 

-to cease its disruptions of gas, electricity, and the fiber-optic  cable to Artsakh. The International Association of Genocide Scholars  Executive and Advisory Boards reiterates its earlier October 24, 2022  condemnation of Azerbaijan and calls upon: 

- The international community and academic and cultural organizations  to condemn violence and hate speech by Azerbaijan against Armenia and  take all necessary measures to compel Azerbaijan to cease hostilities  and hate speech against the Republic of Armenia and the indigenous  Armenians of Artsakh. 

- Azerbaijan to comply with the International Court of Justice  Provisional Measures order of 7 December 2021. 

- Azerbaijan to remove its soldiers from the territory of the  Armenian Republic and to respect the right of self-determination of  the Armenians of Artsakh as guaranteed under the United Nations  Charter (Chapter I, Article 2). 

-The international community to hold the authoritarian regime of  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accountable for the crime of  aggression (crimes against peace), war crimes, crimes against  humanity, and violations of international humanitarian law (blockades  and embargoes that cause starvation) perpetrated against Armenia and  Armenians since September 2020," they concluded.