By Nathanael Hernandez
On Sept. 19, 2023 the government of Azerbaijan overtook the government of Nagorno-Karabakh also referred to as Artsakh by Armenians. This has led to over 100,437 people from Artsakh to be displaced and move to Armenia. These events are similar to the Armenian genocide which took place between 1915-1916.
History of the Nagorno-Karabakh(Artsakh)
Armenia and Azerbaijan were both part of the Soviet Union during the 1920s to 1980s. Once the Soviet Union fell apart, Nagorno-Karabakh would become an independent republic. The Nagorno-Karabakh population is mainly Armenian, but is part of Azerbaijan internationally. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan would clash over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh which would lead to many deaths and wars since the 1980s. The first war, which was in 1988 and ended in 1994, led to over 30,000 deaths. The war led to Armenia gaining control of the region. The second war, which started in 2020 and lasted six weeks, led to the death of over 6,000 people and Azerbaijan recapturing much of the territory.
Russia, being an ally to Armenia, negotiated a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan being supported by Turkey.
The current situation
Even after the second war there is still conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to the “Responsibility of Azerbaijan for Torture and Inhuman Treatment of Armenian Captives: Evidence-Based Analysis (The 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War)” Armanian captives were harassed, beaten, tortured, and humiliated. In Dec. 2022, Lachin Corridor, which is the only road from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, was blocked by Azerbaijani activists. This led to a shortage of food and supplies for Armanians for weeks.
On Sept. 19, 2023 Azerbaijan launched a military operation and led the government of Nagorno-Karabakh to a cease fire and to dismantle its armed forces. The Armenian leaders of Azerbaijan will dissolve their administration by Jan. 1 2024. As of Sept. 30 over 100,437 people of Artsakh have fled to Armenia. As a result over 192 died in the incident.
The president of Azerbaijan Illham Aliyev claims for Armenians that their rights would be protected and to stay. While the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan described it to US officials as an “ethnic cleansing”.
The Armenian Genocide
During World War 1, Armenia was under the Ottoman Empire, which aligned with Germany. The Ottoman Empire was mainly muslim while Armenia was christian. Russia would seek help from Armenia, arguing that they would be better under the Russian Rule. The Ottoman Empire, which would become modern day Turkey, sought to prevent Armaians from collaborating with Russia. There were mass deportations of around 1,750,000 of Armenians to Syria. Due to this exodus, it is estimated 600,000 to 1,000,000 people died.
The Armenians were forced out of their homes and sent on “death marches.” People would be naked and forced to walk in under the scorching sun until they died. If anyone didn’t comply, they would get shot.
To this day according to Middleeasteye Azzerbejian and Turkey deny the killlings as genocide.
The events are similar due to the mass of people being deported. Though a mass of people haven’t died due to the Republic of Artsakh surrendering. Understanding this past, one must question Azerbaijan's actions.
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