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The Azerbaijani military opened fire on the vehicles of the Russian peacekeepers as they attempted to evacuate women and children from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) through the Lachin Corridor, the Armenian Ombudsperson’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday. The full statement is provided below.

"Since September 19, the Azerbaijani armed forces have been shelling the civilian settlements of Nagorno-Karabakh, targeting the civilian population and infrastructure, such as residential buildings, schools, etc.

Azerbaijani armed forces use large-caliber weapons, including artillery, against the civilian population. In accordance with the information registered in the Human Rights Defender's office, as a result of shelling, there are currently 32 dead and more than 200 wounded people, including 7 dead (2 children) and 35 wounded (13 children) among the civilian population. As a result of Azerbaijani aggression, buildings, cars and houses were damaged.

In the early morning of September 20, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on the ambulance of Stepanakert, which was on its way to Martakert Province in order to transport the bodies of eight people who died as a result of the Azerbaijani attack. According to the information spread by open sources, the Azerbaijani armed forces also opened fire on the vehicles of the Russian peacekeepers, when the latter attempted to evacuate women and children from Nagorno Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor, by the Hakari Bridge. These facts come to confirm that the armed forces of Azerbaijan aim to complete the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Office of the Human Rights Defender also monitors the Azerbaijani press and social networks, as a result of which a large number of posts targeting the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of ethnic origin, promoting and justifying hatred and violence by the users of social networks were recorded.

The Defender states that such an intolerant attitude of the society of Azerbaijan is the consequence and proof of the armenophobic policy of the Azerbaijani authorities. The Human Rights Defender especially emphasizes that Azerbaijani aggression grossly violates the principles of international law and international humanitarian law. The Defender calls on international organizations and actors with a mandate of human rights protection to give an appropriate assessment to Azerbaijani actions and to take immediate measures to stop mass crimes."