The bombardment of Martuni (Armenian: Մարտունի բնակավայրի ռմբակոծություն[1]) was the bombardment of the cities, towns, and villages in the Martuni Province of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is de jure a part of Azerbaijan. It was carried out by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The city Martuni, along with the de facto capital Stepanakert, were badly damaged as a result of shelling.[2] The shelling resulted in the deaths of five civilians. 1,203 buildings were damaged in the province as a result of the bombardment, according to Artsakh Urban Development Ministry.[3] Victoria Gevorgyan, a resident of the Martuni Province of Nagorno-Karabakh, became the first child killed on the very first day of the war.[4]
Background
The clashes were part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with an ethnic Armenian majority.[5][6][7][8] The region is a de jure part of Azerbaijan, but is mostly under the de facto control of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia.[9] Ethnic violence began in the late 1980s and exploded into a full war following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.[10] The war ended with a ceasefire in 1994, with the Republic of Artsakh controlling most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as the surrounding districts of Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan of Azerbaijan.[11]
Timeline
The shelling of Martuni began on 27 September 2020.[12][13]
On 1 October 2020, the town of Martuni in Nagorno-Karabakh was subjected to artillery fire and bombardment by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.[14][15] The town was also shelled by multiple rocket launcher TOS-1, which hit residential buildings.[16]
Casualties
According to Head of Martuni regional administration of the Republic of Artsakh Edik Avanesyan, as of the beginning of October, 5 residents were killed and 10 residents were wounded in the city of Martuni. Infrastructure was also destroyed. Residents of Martuni were forced to hide in shelters.[17][18][19][20]
Reactions
Amnesty International
Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Amnesty International visited strike sites in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.[21]
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch and Armenian authorities stated that at least nine medical facilities were damaged in Martuni and other districts of Nagorno-Karabakh during the conflict.[22]
See also
References
- ^ "Արցախի Մարտունի քաղաքի ռմբակոծության հետևանքով կա 4 զոհ, 11 վիրավոր, որոնցից չորսը՝ լրագրող". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» Ռադիոկայան. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Karabakh After the War". www.iwpr.net. Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ LLC, Helix Consulting. "1,350 buildings damaged in the 2020 war rebuilt in Artsakh". www.panorama.am. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ "Lessons of War". hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Ardillier-Carras, Françoise (2006). "Sud-Caucase: conflit du Karabagh et nettoyage ethnique" [South Caucasus: Karabakh conflict and ethnic cleansing]. Bulletin de l'Association de Géographes Français (in French). 83 (4): 409–432. doi:10.3406/bagf.2006.2527.
- ^ "UNHCR publication for CIS Conference (Displacement in the CIS) – Conflicts in the Caucasus". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
- ^ Yamskov, A. N. (1991). Ethnic Conflict in the Transcausasus: The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh. Vol. 20. p. 659.
{{cite book}}:|periodical=ignored (help) - ^ Hambardzumyan, Viktor (1978). Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ (ԼՂԻՄ) [Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO)] (in Armenian). Vol. 4. Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. p. 576.
- ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh profile". BBC News. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
- ^ Toal, Gerard; O’Loughlin, John; Bakke, Kristin M. (12 October 2020). "Nagorno-Karabakh: what do residents of the contested territory want for their future?". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
- ^ "Military occupation of Azerbaijan by Armenia". Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ "'All we need is more weapons' A Russian TV journalist who came under fire in Nagorno-Karabakh describes the situation on the ground". www.meduza.io. Meduza. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
Artillery fire from Azerbaijan disrupted Martuni's calm on September 27 and 28, killing several locals, including a nine-year-old girl and an elderly woman.
- ^ Christophe Petit Tesson (5 April 2021). "Amid the scars of the 2020 war, Nagorno-Karabakh tries to heal". www.independent.co.uk. The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Caucasus: 4 Journalists Injured in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting". www.voanews.com. Voice of America. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Azerbaijan vows fight 'to the end' as Nagorno-Karabakh war rages". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Shelling wreaks destruction in small Karabakh town of Martuni". www.france24.com. France 24. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "A new weapon complicates an old war in Nagorno-Karabakh". Los Angeles Times. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Joshua Kucera (7 October 2020). "Civilians bearing brunt of Armenia-Azerbaijan fighting". www.eurasianet.org. Eurasianet. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Прифронтовой город Мартуни в Карабахе обстреливают каждый день даже после перемирия". www.tass.ru (in Russian). TASS. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ ""Ни в одну войну я не переживала такого ужаса": Карабах между перемириями". eadaily.com (in Russian). 18 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Azerbaijan/Armenia: Scores of civilians killed by indiscriminate use of weapons in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh". www.amnesty.org. Amnesty International. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Unlawful Attacks on Medical Facilities and Personnel in Nagorno-Karabakh". www.hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
