Information of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Information of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia again has grossly violated the cease-fire agreement of April 5th 2016, reached between the Chiefs of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Republic of Armenia. Units of the armed forces of Armenia while concentrating additional forces and military equipment in the direction of Aghdere, starting from April 23rd, 2016, intensively fired at the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the civilian settlements of Tartar district near the confrontation line using large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and heavy artillery. Armed forces of Armenia, using 122 mm D-30 howitzers, fired up to 20 projectiles to the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan. On April 24th at midnight, the house belonged to resident of the Shikharkh settlement of the Tartar district was destroyed (see the enclosed photos) as a result of artillery shelling by the armed forces of Armenia. The units of the armed forces of Azerbaijan took immediate counter-measure actions on that direction, in order to prevent the hostile activities by the armed forces of Armenia. At midnight on April 24th, the units of the armed forces of Armenia intensively fired at the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan from the tanks concentrated along the confrontation line, and attempted to attack with additional manpower. Tanks which belong to the armed forces of Armenia while approaching the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan were stopped by fire and one of them was destroyed with its crew. After this action Armenian units were forced to retreat towards Aghdere direction. Armenian artillery units located around the Sugovushan (Madagiz) military base were also suppressed by preventive measures. The house belonged to resident of the Shikharkh settlement of the Tartar district, destroyed as a result of artillery shelling by the armed forces of Armenia. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Identical Letters Dated 27 April 2016 from the Chargé D’Affaires A.I
United Nations A/70/849–S/2016/398 General Assembly Distr.: General 28 April 2016 Security Council Original: English General Assembly Security Council Seventieth session Seventy-first year Agenda items 35 and 40 Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan Identical letters dated 27 April 2016 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council Further to the letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, dated 20 April 2016, on the recent escalation of the situation at the line of contact of the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the border between the two States, I would like to draw your attention to the latest gross violation by the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia of the ceasefire agreement of 5 April 2016, reached in Moscow between the Chiefs of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, with the assistance of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The armed forces of Armenia, while concentrating additional forces and military equipment at the line of contact, starting from 23 April 2016, fired intensively on the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the civilian settlements near the confrontation line using large-calibre weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and heavy artillery.
[Show full text]
Nagorno-Karabakh's
Nagorno-Karabakh’s Gathering War Clouds Europe Report N°244 | 1 June 2017 Headquarters International Crisis Group Avenue Louise 149 • 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 • Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Preventing War. Shaping Peace. Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Ongoing Risks of War ....................................................................................................... 2 A. Military Tactics .......................................................................................................... 4 B. Potential Humanitarian Implications ....................................................................... 6 III. Shifts in Public Moods and Policies ................................................................................. 8 A. Azerbaijan’s Society ................................................................................................... 8 1. Popular pressure on the government ................................................................... 8 2. A tougher stance ................................................................................................... 10 B. Armenia’s Society ....................................................................................................... 12 1. Public mobilisation and anger
[Show full text]
Armenian Crimes
ARMENIAN CRIMES KHOJALY GENOCIDE Over the night of 25-26 February 1992, following massive artillery bombardment, the Armenian armed forces and paramilitary units, with the support of the former USSR’s 366th Motorized Infantry Regiment attacked an Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. Around 2,500 remaining inhabitants attempted to flee the town in order to reach Aghdam, the nearest city under Azerbaijani control. However, their hope was in vain. The Armenian forces and paramilitary units ambushed and slaughtered the fleeing civilians near the villages of Nakhchivanly and Pirjamal. Other civilians, including women and children were either captured by the Armenian soldiers or froze to death in the snowy forest. Only a few were able to reach Aghdam. 1 During the assault both former presidents of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharian, as well as other high-ranking officials (Zori Balayan, Vitaly Balasanyan and etc) of Armenia, participated personally in the Khojaly Genocide. Speaking to foreign journalists, Armenia’s leaders have admitted their participation and shown no remorse. 2 THE VICTIMS OF THE KHOJALY GENOCIDE • 613 people killed, including 63 children; 106 women; 70 elderly; • 8 families completely annihilated; • 25 children lost both parents; • 130 children lost one parent; • 487 wounded; • 1275 taken hostage; • 150 still missing. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 KHOJALY GENOCIDE IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA The Khojaly tragedy was widely covered in the international media despite the information blockade and the large-scale Armenian propaganda effort. The world community could not close eyes to the gravity of this crime against humanity and cruelty of perpetrators. 12 13 14 15 16 17 THE JUSTICE FOR KHOJALY CAMPAIGN The Justice for Khojaly International Awareness Campaign was initiated in 2008 by Leyla Aliyeva, the Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
[Show full text]
Torontohye124-February-Cmprs-2016.Pdf
Ä². î³ñÇ ÂÇõ 4 (124), öºîðàô²ð 2016 Volume 11, No. 4 (124), February 2016 Øß³ÏáõÃ³ÛÇÝ, ÀÝÏ»ñ³ÛÇÝ, ²ÛÉ³½³Ý ä³ñµ»ñ³Ã»ñÃ Toronto Armenian Community Newspaper êáõñÇ³Ñ³Û»ñáõ ÂáñáÝÃû Ä³Ù³ÝáõÙÁ ÎÁ Þ³ñáõÝ³ÏáõÇ Ð³Û Î»¹ñáÝÁ ²é³õ»É³·áÛÝë Æ ¶áñÍ ÏÁ ¸Ý¿ Æñ Î³ñ»ÉáõÃÇõÝÝ»ñÁ êáõñÇ³Ñ³Û Ù³ÝáõÏ ÙÁª ÌÝÝ¹»³Ý Ñ³õ³ùÇ ¶³ÕÃ³Ï³Ý³Ï³Ý Ð³ñó»ñáõ ¶ñ³ë»Ý»³ÏÇ Ï³Ù³õáñ »ñÇï³ë³ñ¹Ý»ñ êáõñÇ³Ñ³Û»ñáõ Ñ³Ù³ñ CABC-Ç Ï³½Ù³Ï»ñå³Í Job Fair-Ç ³ï»Ý Ï°û·Ý»Ý ëáõñÇ³Ñ³Û»ñáõ ÃáõÕÃ»ñáõ å³ïñ³ëïáõÃ»³Ý ³ßË³ï³ÝùÇÝ: Ù³ëÝ³ÏÇóÝ»ñ: Ð³Û Î»¹ñáÝÇ ¶³ÕÃ³Ï³Ý³Ï³Ý Ýáõñ ¹Å·áÑáõÃÇõÝª ·³Ý³ï³Ï³Ý Ï»³Ý- ñ»ÏÝ»ñáõÝ óáõóÙáõÝùÝ»ñ ÏÁ ïñáõÇÝ Ý³»õ Ëûë»Éáíª§Ø»ñ Ñ³ÛÏ³Ï³Ý í³ñÅ³ñ³ÝÇ Ð³ñó»ñáõ ¶ñ³ë»Ý»³ÏÁ (ACC-SAH) ³Ûë ùÇ, Û³ïÏ³å¿ë ·áñÍÇ å³ÛÙ³ÝÝ»ñáõÝ úÝÃ³ñÇáÛÇ ÁÝÓ»é³Í ³éáÕç³å³Ñ³- ³ß³Ï»ñï ÁÝ¹áõÝ»Éáõ Ï³ñáÕáõÃÇõÝÁ ³ñ- ûñ»ñáõÝ Ù»ÕáõÇ ÷»Ã³ÏÇ å¿ë ÏÁ µ³ÝÇª Ñ³Ý¹¿å: ÀÝ¹Ñ³Ýñ³å¿ë ¶³Ý³ï³ Ý»ñ- Ï³Ý Íñ³·ÇñÝ»ñáõ Ù³ëÇÝ, ÇÝùÝ³ß³ñÅ ¹¿Ý ³ÙµáÕç³ó³Í ¿: ²é³çÇÝ »ÏáÕÝ»ñÁ ûñÝ Ç µáõÝ£ ·³ÕÃáÕ ÙÁ Ñá·»å¿ë »õ Ùï³å¿ë å³ï- ùß»Éáõ ³ñïûÝ³·ñÇ, å»ï³Ï³Ý ÁÝï³- ³ñ¹¿Ý ï»Õ³õáñáõ»ó³Ý ¹åñáóÇÝ Ù¿çª Ø¿Ï ÏáÕÙ¿` ¶ñ³ë»Ý»³ÏÇ å³ï³ë- ñ³ëïáõ³Í Ï°ÁÉÉ³Û ·³Ý³ï³Ï³Ý Ï»³Ý- Ý»Ï³Ý Û³ïÏ³óáõÙÝ»ñ¿Ý û·ïáõ»Éáõ »õ ³ÛÉ ³Ýí×³é Ï»ñåáí¦, ÏÁ µ³ó³ïñ¿ ²µ·³ñ Ë³Ý³ïáõÝª ÈáñÇÏ Î³ñåáõß»³Ý ¶³- ùÇ Ï»Ýó³Õ³ÛÇÝ å³Ñ³ÝçÝ»ñáõÝ, ë³- Í³é³ÛáõÃÇõÝÝ»ñáõ Ù³ëÇÝ: ØÇñ³ù»³Ýª ¶³ÕÃ³Ï³Ý³Ï³Ý Ð³ñó»- ÃÁñ×»³Ý Ï°³ÙµáÕç³óÝ¿ Ýáñ Å³Ù³Ý³Í Ï³ÛÝ, ³Ûë ·³ÕÃ³Ï³ÝÝ»ñáõ (refugees) ÚáõÝáõ³ñÇÝ ¶ñ³ë»Ý»³ÏÁ` ·áñÍ³Ï- ñáõ Û³ÝÓÝ³ËáõÙµÇÝ ³ï»Ý³å»ïÁ: §ÎÁ ëáõñÇ³Ñ³Û»ñáõ å»ï³Ï³Ý ³ñÓ³Ý³·- å³ñ³·³Ý ï³ñµ»ñ ¿ñ ³ÛÝ ÇÙ³ëïáí, ó³µ³ñ ê.
[Show full text]
Bgr
Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/28/2020 4:52:04 PM From: Tavlarides, Mark <mtavlarides(a)bgrdc.com> Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 4:39 PM To: Tavlarides, Mark <mtavlarides(q>bgrdc.com> Subject: Azerbaijan Update Good afternoon, I wanted to bring to your attention a press release from the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the recent attacks by Armenia on Azerbaijani civilians. It can be found here. Since yesterday, September 27, Armenia has launched a large-scale provocation against Azerbaijan, targeting residential areas and the armed forces of Azerbaijan. As a result of massive shelling of Azerbaijani villages, 8 civilians were killed and many more injured. The Azerbaijani Army, using the right of self-defense and in order to protect civilians, reacted through counter-offensive measures. Azerbaijan's operations are conducted within its internationally recognized sovereign territories, and Azerbaijan is abiding by its commitments under international humanitarian law. Azerbaijan has long expressed warnings that it expects larger military provocations by Armenia at any time. Open provocations by the Armenian leadership, especially by Prime Minister Pashinyan; recent intensified reconnaissance; and sabotage activities by Armenia, including using tactical drones against Azerbaijani positions, demonstrate that Armenia was preparing to launch another attack. Armenia has violated all the norms and principles of international law by occupying internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, which was condemned by four UN Security Council Resolutions. Against this background, please see attached for relevant information on the latest developments, including the list of Armenian provocations for the last 2 years. Please let me know if you have any questions.
[Show full text]
Yukarı Karabağ'da 44 Günde Gelen Zafer
Yukarı Karabağ’da 44 Günde Gelen Zafer: TÜRKIYE-AZERBAYCAN KARDEŞLIĞININ NIŞANESI Victory in Nagorno-Karabakh after 44 Days: THE TOKEN OF THE TURKEY-AZERBAIJAN BROTHERHOOD Победа в Нагорном Карабахе за 44 дня: ДОКАЗАТЕЛЬСТВО БРАТСТВА ТУРЦИИ И АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА Yukarı Karabağ’da 44 Günde Gelen Zafer: TÜRKIYE-AZERBAYCAN KARDEŞLIĞININ NIŞANESI Victory in Nagorno-Karabakh after 44 Days: THE TOKEN OF THE TURKEY-AZERBAIJAN BROTHERHOOD Победа в Нагорном Карабахе за 44 дня: ДОКАЗАТЕЛЬСТВО БРАТСТВА ТУРЦИИ И АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА ISBN: 978-625-7779-91-3 Yukarı Karabağ’da 44 Günde Gelen Zafer: TÜRKIYE-AZERBAYCAN KARDEŞLIĞININ NIŞANESI Victory In Nagorno-Karabakh After 44 Days: THE TOKEN OF THE TURKEY-AZERBAIJAN BROTHERHOOD Победа в Нагорном Карабахе за 44 дня: ДОКАЗАТЕЛЬСТВО БРАТСТВА ТУРЦИИ И АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА © 2021 CUMHURBAŞKANLIĞI İLETİŞİM BAŞKANLIĞI YAYINLARI © 2021 PUBLICATIONS BY PRESIDENCY’S DIRECTORATE OF COMMUNICATIONS © 2021 ИЗДАНИЯ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ КОММУНИКАЦИИ ПРИ АДМИНИСТРАЦИИ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА Yayıncı Sertifika No: 45482 | Publication Certificate No.: 45482 | Сертификат издателя № 45482 1. Baskı, İstanbul, 2021 | 1st Edition, Istanbul | 1 Издание, Стамбул İletişim | Contact | Контакты Kızılırmak Mahallesi Mevlana Bulv. No:144 Çukurambar Ankara/TÜRKİYE T +90 312 590 20 00 | [email protected] Baskı | Print | Печать Prestij Grafik Rek. ve Mat. San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti. T 0 212 489 40 63, İstanbul Matbaa Sertifika No: 45590 Yukarı Karabağ’da 44 Günde Gelen Zafer: TÜRKIYE-AZERBAYCAN KARDEŞLIĞININ NIŞANESI Yukarı Karabağ’da 44 Günde Gelen Zafer: TÜRKIYE-AZERBAYCAN KARDEŞLIĞININ NIŞANESI Victory In Nagorno-Karabakh After 44 Days: THE TOKEN OF THE TURKEY-AZERBAIJAN BROTHERHOOD Победа в Нагорном Карабахе за 44 дня: ДОКАЗАТЕЛЬСТВО БРАТСТВА ТУРЦИИ И АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА İÇİNDEKİLER CONTENTS СОДЕРЖАНИЕ 1. Önsöz Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 07 Preface Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 101 Предисловие Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 199 1.
[Show full text]
Nagorno-Karabakh: a New Turkish Front Against Russia ? Pierre Razoux Academic and Research Director of the FMES Institute
13.10.2020 Nagorno-Karabakh: a new Turkish front against Russia ? Pierre Razoux Academic and Research Director of the FMES Institute ABSTRACT By encouraging Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in his attempt to regain Nagorno-Karabakh, President Erdogan opened a new front facing the Kremlin to boast a symbolic success with his population and to force Vladimir Putin to accept a compromise on the other Syrian, Libyan, Mediterranean and energy fronts. This strategy is not without risk because the conflict could spread to the secessionist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in neighbouring Georgia. Above all, it could provoke an escalation of tensions with Iran. The relatively even military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not allow either of the two belligerents to conduct a victorious blitzkrieg against the territory of the other, a fortiori in the very mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh. Any confrontation will structurally lead to a war of attrition, leaving time for the Turkish and Russian presidents to negotiate. Forcing his luck, Recep Tayyip Erdogan could be tempted to annex the northern part of Cyprus soon, exchanging his disengagement from the South Caucasus for the silence of the Kremlin. By encouraging Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in his attempt to reconquer the secessionist province of Nagorno-Karabakh defended by Armenia (launched on September 27, 2020), has President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voluntarily opened a new front against the Kremlin to force Vladimir Putin to find a compromise on the other Syrian, Libyan, Mediterranean and energy fronts? It must be noted that the counteroffensive of Fayez el-Sarraj in Libya, supported by the Turkish President, is trampling on in front of Sirte1, that the battle of Idlib is not turning to the advantage of pro-Turkish forces in Syria - even if the death-blow of the Syrian regime, supported by Moscow, is slow in coming - and that Turkey has had to back-pedal in the Eastern Mediterranean under triple pressure from the United States, NATO2 and the Europeans3.
[Show full text]
Coi Chronology
COI CHRONOLOGY Country of Origin ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN Main subject The course of the Nagorno-Karabakh armed conflict and its impact on the civilian population Date of completion 10 November 2020 Disclaimer This chronology note has been elaborated according to the EASO COI Report Methodology and EASO Writing and Referencing Guide. The information provided in this chronology has been researched, evaluated and processed with utmost care within a limited time frame. All sources used are referenced. A quality review has been performed in line with the above mentioned methodology. This document does not claim to be exhaustive neither conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to international protection. If a certain event, person or organisation is not mentioned in the report, this does not mean that the event has not taken place or that the person or organisation does not exist. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal position. The information in this chronology does not necessarily reflect the opinion of EASO and makes no political statement whatsoever. The target audience is caseworkers, COI researchers, policy makers, and asylum decision-making authorities. The chronology was finalised on 10 November 2020 and will be updated according to the development of the situation in the region. COI CHRONOLOGY Background Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous landlocked region within the borders of Azerbaijan1 and is mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians.2 Recognized under international law as a part of Azerbaijan,
[Show full text]
General Assembly Security Council Seventieth Session Seventy-First Year Agenda Items 35 and 40
United Nations A/70/1034–S/2016/767 General Assembly Distr.: General 8 September 2016 Security Council Original: English General Assembly Security Council Seventieth session Seventy-first year Agenda items 35 and 40 Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan Letter dated 6 September 2016 from the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General Upon instructions from my Government, I have the honour to convey herewith the records of the violations of the ceasefire by the Republic of Armenia in July 2016 (see annex).* During the period in question, Armenia violated the ceasefire regime 345 times and continued the usage of large-calibre guns and heavy weaponry from its positions in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan and from its own territory. The continuous occupation of a large part of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the armed forces of Armenia remains the main obstacle to the settlement of the conflict and the only source of the escalation of the situation on the front line and of occurrences of hostilities and casualties. The sooner the Republic of Armenia withdraws its troops from the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the sooner peace and stability can be restored in the region. I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 35 and 40, and of the Security Council.
[Show full text]
Public Statement of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan
ALİ маяком,Ы Public statement of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan On 27 September 2020, the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia launched a large- scale military campaign against the Republic of Azerbaijan along the line of contact by shelling intensively the positions of the armed forces, as well as the residential settlements of Azerbaijan. In response to this aggressive military advance, the armed forces of Azerbaijan have conducted counter-offensive operations against the Armenian occupying forces in full compliance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter by invoking the inherent right of self-defense and the norms of international humanitarian law. It is reported that since 27 September 2020, 29 civilians, including three children, have been killed and more than 144 have sustained injuries of various degrees as a result of the continuous indiscriminate shelling of the Azerbaijani civilian population in towns and cities - Gyandja, Bilasuvar, Tartar, Agdjabedi, Barda, Khizi - located inland farther away (50- 250 kilometers) from the line of contact. In addition to the reported civilian casualties, close to 500 civilian objects, including private property, the water reservoir and the power plant in Mingachevir, the energy pipelines (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and South Caucasus Pipeline) delivering crude oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe and the regional courthouse in the Tartar district, have been the target of indiscriminate attacks by the Armenian armed forces. These latest events of the military aggression of the Armenian armed forces are continuation of the recent provocations against Azerbaijan. In July 2020, the Armenian armed forces shifted its aggressive expansionist policy further to the north from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and launched heavy artillery fire on the military positions and civilian objects killing military personnel and civilians in the direction of the Tovuz district of Azerbaijan.
[Show full text]
Aggression of the Republic of Armenia Against the Republic of Azerbaijan
1 AGGRESSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA AGAINST THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN Historical background. The Nagorny Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan is part of the geographical area called Garabagh (Qarabağ). The name of this part of the country consists of two Azerbaijani words: "qara" (black) and "bag" (garden).1 The geographical area of Karabakh covers the lands from the Araz River in the south to the Kur River in the north, and from the junction of the Kur and Araz Rivers in the east to the eastern ranges of the Lesser Caucasus in the west. From ancient times up to the occupation by Russian Empire in the early 19th century, this region was part of different Azerbaijani states. On 14 May 1805, the Treaty of Kurakchay (1805) between Ibrahim Khan, Khan of Karabakh, and Sisianov, representative of the Russian Emperor, was signed. According to this treaty, the Karabakh khanate came under the Russian rule. The Gulustan peace treaty, signed between Russian Empire and Persia on 12 October 1813, de jure recognized the joining to Russia of the Northern Azerbaijan khanates, with the exception of the Nakhchyvan and Iravan khanates. According to the Turkmanchay peace treaty, signed on 10 February 1828 - at the end of the second Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) - Iran confirmed its relinquishment of Northern Azerbaijan, including the Nakhchyvan and Iravan khanates. After the signing of the Gulustan and Turkmanchay treaties a very rapid mass resettlement of Armenians in the Azerbaijani lands took place and the subsequent artificial territorial division emerged. The First World War also contributed to the increase in the number of Armenians in the South Caucasus.
[Show full text]
Azerbaijan 2015 Human Rights Report
AZERBAIJAN 2015 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Azerbaijani constitution provides for a republic with a presidential form of government. Legislative authority is vested in the Milli Mejlis. The president dominated the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) canceled its observation of the November 1 legislative elections when the government refused to accept ODIHR’s recommended number of election monitors. Without ODIHR observation, it was impossible to assess fully the conduct of the Parliamentary election; independent local and international monitors alleged irregularities throughout the country. The 2013 presidential election did not meet a number of key OSCE standards for democratic elections. Separatists, with Armenia’s support, continued to control most of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other Azerbaijani territories, and 622,892 persons reportedly remained internally displaced in December 2014 as a result of the unresolved conflict. There was an increase in violence along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Military actions throughout the year resulted in the highest number of deaths in one year since the signing of the 1994 ceasefire agreement, including six confirmed civilian casualties. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over Azerbaijani security forces. The most significant human rights problems during the year included: 1. Increased government restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly, and association that were reflected in the intimidation, incarceration on questionable charges, and use of force against human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and some of their relatives. The operating space for activists and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) remained severely constrained.
[Show full text]