ArmInfo. Some 223 people were killed during Azerbaijan's latest aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19-20, 2023, with 25 of them being civilians, Head of Armenia's Investigation Committee Argishti Kyaramyan said in an interview with Armenia's Public Television.
He said that as a result of military operations, 244 people were injured, of which 76 were civilians (including 10 minors), 20 people were considered missing, of which 5 were civilians.
In addition, cases of torture by the Azerbaijani military over the bodies of about 20 dead have been registered.
During the forced transfer from Artsakh to Armenia, according to the head of the Investigative Committee, deaths were also recorded, both during the journey and upon arrival in Armenia, which is associated with the great psychological pressure that was exerted by the Azerbaijani armed forces. In total, about 70 deaths were recorded. He noted that all these cases are being investigated as part of the criminal investigation into ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan.
Speaking about prisoners of war, Kyaramyan said that Azerbaijan confirmed only the presence of 23 prisoners of war, of which 17 were as a result of the September 2023 aggression. He also said that the Investigative Committee has information about the forced disappearance of 32 people as a result of the 44- day Artsakh War, which Azerbaijan denies.
During a press conference held at the end of last year, international law specialist Siranush Sahakyan stated that at the moment 55 Armenians are officially detained in Azerbaijan.
"Of course, they all have different statuses: prisoners of war, civilians held captive and persons held for political reasons. In particular, 6 civilians held hostage; 41 prisoners of war and 8 former political or military figures who are considered political prisoners ", the human rights activist explained, adding that this is only official data.
According to her, in addition, the Azerbaijani side captured over 80 civilians and military personnel, but nothing is being done to clarify their fate. Sahakyan stated that the first group, officially confirmed, is in a more protected position, unlike the second group. "Since 2021, there have been no recorded cases in which Azerbaijan has officially confirmed the fact of holding persons captured during the 44-day war," she explained.
As a result of the full-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan on September 19 of this year. in relation to Nagorno-Karabakh, which was preceded by a total blockade for 9 months, about 110 thousand citizens of Artsakh were forcibly transferred to Armenia.
However, in total, as a result of Azerbaijani aggression, starting from the 44-day Artsakh war in 2020, 150 thousand Artsakh residents were left homeless.