Violations of International Humanitarian Law by Armenia in the Second Karabakh war

The most recent large-scale military provocation of Armenia against Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020, was responded to by the Azerbaijani side with a successful counteroffensive operation that culminated with Armenia`s capitulation and the restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This commentary discusses international crimes committed by Armenia during the recent fighting, dubbed the Second Karabakh War. As will be shown, Armenia intentionally and systematically targeted Azerbaijani civilians through the delivery of missile and bomb strikes on cities situated outside of the war zone as well as using prohibited weapons in severe violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws. Armenia also recruited children to participate in military operations against Azerbaijan. The authors provide a legal analysis of these international crimes and examine existing international mechanisms establishing the international criminal responsibility of the Armenian political-military leadership for the violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Authors: Nizami Safarov and Najiba Mustafayeva
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