2020 bombardment of Martuni

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]

Bombardment of Martuni
Part of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Russian peacekeeper in the damaged city of Martuni
LocationMartuni, Nagorno-Karabakh
Coordinates39°47′43″N 47°06′47″E
DateSeptember 27, 2020 (2020-09-27)-
November 10, 2020 (2020-11-10) (GMT+4)
Attack type
Bombardment
Shelling
Drone strikes
Artillery salvos
Weapons
Deaths5 (as of October 5, 2020)
Injured10 (as of October 5, 2020)
PerpetratorAzerbaijani Armed Forces
1,203 buildings damaged in the Martuni Province

Background
Main article: 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war

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
See also: Timeline of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war

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]

External video
video icon Nagorno Karabakh. Martuni under Grad Shelling on YouTube

Casualties
Main article: Casualties of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war

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
External video
video icon Footage of bombardment in Martuni on YouTube

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
  1. "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.
  2. "Karabakh After the War". www.iwpr.net. Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. LLC, Helix Consulting. "1,350 buildings damaged in the 2020 war rebuilt in Artsakh". www.panorama.am. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  4. "Lessons of War". hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. 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.
  6. "UNHCR publication for CIS Conference (Displacement in the CIS) – Conflicts in the Caucasus". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
  7. Yamskov, A. N. (1991). Ethnic Conflict in the Transcausasus: The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh. p. 659. {{cite book}}: |periodical= ignored (help)
  8. Hambardzumyan, Viktor (1978). Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ (ԼՂԻՄ) [Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO)] (in Armenian). Vol. 4. Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. p. 576.
  9. "Nagorno-Karabakh profile". BBC News. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  10. 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.
  11. "Military occupation of Azerbaijan by Armenia". Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  12. "'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.
  13. 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.
  14. "Caucasus: 4 Journalists Injured in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting". www.voanews.com. Voice of America. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  15. "Azerbaijan vows fight 'to the end' as Nagorno-Karabakh war rages". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  16. "Shelling wreaks destruction in small Karabakh town of Martuni". www.france24.com. France 24. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  17. "A new weapon complicates an old war in Nagorno-Karabakh". Los Angeles Times. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  18. Joshua Kucera (7 October 2020). "Civilians bearing brunt of Armenia-Azerbaijan fighting". www.eurasianet.org. Eurasianet. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  19. "Прифронтовой город Мартуни в Карабахе обстреливают каждый день даже после перемирия". www.tass.ru (in Russian). TASS. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  20. ""Ни в одну войну я не переживала такого ужаса": Карабах между перемириями". eadaily.com (in Russian). 18 October 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  21. "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.
  22. "Unlawful Attacks on Medical Facilities and Personnel in Nagorno-Karabakh". www.hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
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