High Commission For Human Rights Warns Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Could Become A War Crime

Local resident Elsever Pashayev stands at his house that was allegedly destroyed by a cannon fire in the city of Tartar, Azerbaijan. (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet warned all parties to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding cities that clashes could turn into war crimes.

This is due to the fact that fighting often takes place in densely populated areas at the expense of civilians. The warning was conveyed by Bachelet in a statement read by OHCHR Spokesperson Liz Throssell during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday 2 November, accessed from the official website of the United Nations, in Jakarta, Tuesday, November 3.

"United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed concern that fighting was expanding and continuing in the densely populated areas in and around the conflict area in Nagorno-Karabakh. The action was against international humanitarian law and (Bachelet) warned that fighting could lead to war crimes. , "said Throssell.

International Humanitarian Law or commonly known as the Law of War is a rule agreed upon by the countries of the world, which aims to regulate the procedures for armed combat to comply with humanitarian principles and ensure the safety of civilians.

"Any attack carried out without regard to the principle of discrimination or the principle of balance can lead to war crimes, and all parties to the conflict are obliged to investigate thoroughly, effectively and neutrally against such violations and bring perpetrators to justice," said an OHCHR spokesman. .

On that occasion, Throssell conveyed information conveyed by a number of sources from the Azerbaijan Government that around 40,000 people had been forcibly evicted from their homes because of fighting between the Armenian army and troops from Azerbaijan, as well as an armed group in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Meanwhile, according to the Armenian Foreign Minister, around 90,000 ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakhs have fled and currently they are in Armenia," said Throssell.

Bachelet, through his statement read by Throssell, also urged all parties to prevent casualties from civil society and ensure that no public facilities, including schools and hospitals, are damaged.

"The death toll continues to increase and the people continue to suffer from this fighting. Therefore, we again urge all parties to carry out a ceasefire and comply with the ceasefire agreement, and return to the negotiating table to jointly solve this problem peacefully," Throssell said while reading out statement of attitude of the OHCHR chairman.

On that occasion, Throssell also requested that all parties to the conflict, namely Armenia and Azerbaijan, open access to humanitarian assistance and open the door for the monitoring team from the OHCHR so that the UN human rights body can directly monitor and prevent human rights violations against civilians during the fighting. between two countries.

Foreign ministers from Azerbaijan and Armenia met on October 30, 2020 in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the ceasefire and the resolution of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Not only the ministers from the two countries in conflict, the meeting was also attended by envoys from France, Russia and the United States.

Conflict broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh during a shootout between Azerbaijani soldiers and Armenian troops on September 27, 2020. Since fighting between the two camps broke out, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a ceasefire at least three times.

However, skirmishes are still ongoing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding cities. Nagorno-Karabakh is an area in Azerbaijan which is inhabited by mostly ethnic Armenians. The region split from Azerbaijan in the 1990s when the Soviet Union dissolved, but most countries in the world have yet to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh independence.

The fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is in the mountainous region of the South Caucasus, worries many countries, as the area is one of the main pipelines for gas and oil to Europe.