Report of the Fact-Finding Mission

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission
on civilian casualties and destructions as a result of another missile
strike by Armenian armed forces on Ganja, the second largest and
densely populated city of Azerbaijan
11-12 October 2020
Baku -2020

A. Introduction
1. Ganja, the second largest and densely populated city of Azerbaijan, which is located 100 km far from the front line, was again under missile strikes by the Armenian armed forces around 02:00 a.m. on October 11, 2020.

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission

2. Another time, an occupant Armenia ignores the UN Charter and the established norms and principles of international law and humanitarian law (IHL), and the rules of the humanitarian ceasefire, proclaimed since 12:00 p.m. on 10 October 2020. Consequently, there have been civilian casualties and extensive damage to many of civilian objects.

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission:
3. The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan, Ms. Sabina Aliyeva immediately visited Ganja with a fact-finding mission.

4. The objective of the visit was a fact-finding mission and the Mission examined on-site the infringement of human rights and freedoms of the people, who were killed and injured and/or those, whose property was severely destroyed as a result of artillery shelling by Armenian armed forces.

5. The present Report was prepared based on the factual findings on the acts of terrorism, committed by the Armenian armed forces in Ganja, to draw the attention of international organizations to the real facts of atrocities amassed on the spot.

The Mission Report covers the period from 10 to 12 October 2020.

This picture provides the statistical data on casualties caused by missile attacks by Armenian armed forces on Ganja city.

B. The Fact-Finding Mission of the Ombudsman
6. As a result of rocket fires in Ganja, the second largest and densely populated city of Azerbaijan, which is located 100 km far from the frontline, and was subjected to yet another artillery shelling by the Armenian armed forces around 02:00 a.m. on October 11, 2020, have inflicted serious civilian casualties, including deaths of civilians, massive destructions and incalculable damages of the residential buildings and other civilian public
facilities.

7. During the Mission to Ganja, it was established that the occupant Armenia, who does not give up its policy of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, fails to respect the UN Charter, international law, including the rules of IHL and the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, particularly the Fourth Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the United Nations Convention of
the Rights of the Child.

8. In addition, as a result of a failure by Armenia to obey the rules of the agreement of humanitarian ceasefire, announced on 10 October from 12:00 p.m., there have been committed yet another act of terrorism, accompanied by serious violations of human rights.

9. These ongoing military provocations grew by hostile Armenia, who disregards the UN Security Council Resolutions 8221, 8532, 8743, and 8844 (1993), which define the legal framework of the political procedure of the armed conflict based on the norms and principles of international law related to the military aggression on the territory of Azerbaijan, are the new acts of terrorism against civilians of Azerbaijan, and therefore, it is a matter of
international and legal assessment as a war crime and crimes against humanity.

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission:
10. The Resolutions in question, clearly condemn the occupation of the areas of Azerbaijan, declare the inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory, reaffirm the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and inviolability of national borders of Azerbaijan and demand immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all occupying forces from the occupied areas of Azerbaijan.

11. Hence force, the international organizations should strictly condemn the acts of aggression of the military and political administration of the Republic of Armenia that consistently fail to respect international law by continuing its criminal acts, as well as to take urgent measures that warrant criminal prosecution of those, accused of criminal offences concerned.

12. Another statement of protest, issued by the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan addressing the international organizations, independent states in the world, and the NHRIs, it was demanded to immediately end up the acts of terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, committed by hostile Armenia in blatant violation of international law and which were resulted in deaths and injuries of the civilian population, and to take urgent

1 http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/822
2 http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/853
3 http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/874
4 http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/884
4
measures for international liability.5
13. The statement in question was addressed to the UN Secretary-General, UN Security Council, UN OHCHR, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNICEF, UNESCO, EU, CoE, OSCE, IOI, EOI, AOA, OIC, and its Ombudsman Association in all Member States, Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of OIC, ENOC, International Peace Bureau, various Ombudsman institutions and the NHRIs.

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission:
14. The sole purpose of Armenia is to inflict mass civilian casualties, to cause panic among the population, and to capture new areas of Azerbaijan by use of force and indiscriminately launching missiles on densely populated residential buildings in Ganja. It is, consequently, causes mass civilian casualties as they amount war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission:
15. Through social networking, such as Twitter6, Facebook7, and media outlets, the Azerbaijan Ombudsman called on the world community to take prompt actions to prevent this war crime in conformity with international law.

16. Regretfully, the international organizations and sovereign states have not yet taken any measures for legal liability for Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan, and we, as an NHRI and those, who suffered also from the Armenian military aggression, deep concern about it.

17. On 11 October, during the next monitoring by the Azerbaijan Ombudsman, conducted as a part of her Mission to Ganja, it was established that as a consequence of another intentional indiscriminate missile attacks of Armenia’s military forces on the multi-apartment buildings, inhabited by the civilian population, including children, women and older persons, there have been deaths and injuries among the civilians and serious destructions
of private houses and other civilian infrastructures.8

18. All the above-noted facts refer to the gross and consistent violations by Armenia the human rights and freedoms of the citizens of Azerbaijan established by international legal instruments.

19. At the time of the Mission, the Ombudsman met with the relatives of the killed persons, injured, and the victim residents of the city in the frame of the investigations of the multi-apartment buildings and other public facilities, destroyed by the artillery shelling of the central part of Ganja by the Armenian armed forces and has taken joint measures with relevant stakeholders in a view to solving on the spot the challenges emerged due to the ongoing situation.

The following photos provide images of destructions, occurred as a result of another missile attacks by the Armenian armed forces on Ganja from the territory of Armenia

5 ttps://ombudsman.az/en/view/news/2107/statement-by-the-commissioner-for-human-rights-ombudsman-of-the-republic-of-azerbaijan-toprotest-against-deaths-injuries-among-the-civilian-population-and-the- destructions-of-civilian-objects-as-a-r
6 https://twitter.com/az_ombudsman
7 https://www.facebook.com/ombudsman.az/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
8 ttps://ombudsman.az/en/view/news/2107/statement-by-the-commissioner–for-human-rights-ombudsman-of-the-republic-of- azerbaijan-to-protest-against-deaths-injuries-among-the-civilian-population-and-the-destructions-of-civilian-objects-as-a-rfor-human-rights-ombudsman-of-the-republic-

9 https://www.facebook.com/ombudsman.az/videos/277406673360697/

20. Ombudsman sent a video message calling on international organizations and the world states from the scene of civilian casualties and mass destructions, caused by a missile attack hit the territory of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia.

21. As a consequence of another Armenian military aggression, 10 civilians, including 5 women were killed, 35 civilians, including 16 women and 6 children were injured inside the multi-apartment residential buildings, inhabited by also children, women, and older persons, as well as over 10 multi-apartment buildings and more than 100 various objects, have been damaged.

Photos taken from the meeting of the Ombudsman with the victim residents and media outlets, arrived at the scene of destruction inflicted by missile attacks on Ganja by Armenian armed forces, launched from the territory of Armenia:

22. The UN Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict, proclaimed by the General Assembly resolution of 14 December 1974 states that the attacks and bombings on the civilian population, inflicting incalculable suffering, especially on the defenseless women and children, shall be prohibited, and such acts shall
be condemned.10

23. The UN Member States shall abide by international positive obligations established by the 1925 Geneva Protocol and 1949 Geneva Conventions,11 as well as by other international legal instruments demanding respect for human rights during a warfare.

24. For all that, Armenian armed forces continue launching artillery shelling and missile attacks on multi-apartment residential buildings, densely inhabited by children, women, and the aged people of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia, also by which the Government of the latter flagrantly breaches its positive and international treaty obligations.

10https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.19_declaration%20protection%20women%20armed%20conflict.pdf
11https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-0173.pdf
12
https://www.facebook.com/ombudsman.az/videos/368508484509863/

The List of the 10 injured schoolchildren out of 35 persons injured as a result of a missile attack by the Armenian armed forces on a multi-apartment residential building at the central part of Ganja is enclosed :
1. Omar Mehdiyev – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the second grade
2. Selim Mustafazade – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the eleventh grade
3. Murad Javadov – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the third grade
4. Dinara Muradova – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the second grade
5. Rauf Muradov – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the fourth grade
6. Houseyn Aliyev – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the third grade
7. Sevinj Rahimova – Ganja city, secondary school No. 32, the sixth grade
8. Aysu Aliyeva – Ganja city, secondary school No. 20, the tenth grade
9. Shafa Shirinova – Ganja city, secondary school No. 25, the sixth grade
10. Shemiddin Shirinov – Ganja city, secondary school No. 25, the seventh grade
11
With deep sorrow, we would like to note that as a result of a missile attack on Ganja city by the Armenian armed forces three children lost their parents. Thus, Armenia seriously violates his international obligations, established by international treaties, to which he is a party, particularly, the provisions of the CRC

25. The civilian casualties and destruction caused by another rocket missile attack by the Armenian armed forces on residential areas of Ganja, the second largest and densely populated city of Azerbaijan once again prove that Armenia does not give up its policy of aggression and intends to new territorial claims on Azerbaijan.

26. Armenia’s such war crimes, which in itself includes inhuman acts, are serious danger to the life and health of the civilian population, therefore, such an act of aggression should alarm and concern the international organizations, all sovereign states, NHRIs and oblige them to take specific efforts to ensure that legal sanctions are imposed on Armenia.

27. These military provocations of Armenia against Azerbaijan, which cause a serious threat to its civilians’ lives and health systems, create a hazard that people can remain in a difficult and risky situation not only physically and materially, but also morally and psychologically and also, violate the fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to life, the right to safe
environment and others.

28. Henceforth, we urge international organizations and leading world states to demand from Armenia, striking at all just peace efforts, unconditionally to end its war crimes, criminal acts violating the civilian rights and freedoms, and to return all the occupied areas of Azerbaijan, as well as to take urgent measures for bringing the aggressor Armenia to international liability.

Report of the Fact-Finding Mission

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the
Republic of Azerbaijan

Website: www.ombudsman.az
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ombudsman.az
Twitter: @az_ombudsman
Call Center: (012) 916
Baku city, Uzeyir Hajibeyli 80, House of Government,
Entrance II
Tel/Fax: (+99412) 493 74 22, (+99412) 498 2365
ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.az
apparat@ombudsman.gov.az

#LongLiveAzerbaijanArmy

#KarabakhisAzerbajian

#StopArmenianOccupation

#StopArmenianAggression

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *