Azerbaijan initiates criminal case into deportation of Azerbaijanis from modern-day Armenia

A criminal case has been initiated on the facts of mass deportation, persecution, and genocide of Azerbaijanis by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Based on the appeal of the public association “Western Azerbaijan Community”, the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, as well as the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office conducted an investigation, APA reports.

According to the documents preserved in the state archive of Azerbaijan, since the beginning of the 20th century, armed formations created under the leadership of people of Armenian origin began active actions aimed at committing crimes against peace and humanity - against people of Azerbaijani origin living in the lands of Western Azerbaijan.

Thus, until March 1918, Armenian armed detachments destroyed 32 villages in the Irevan district, 84 in the Echmiadzin district, 7 in the Novobayazit district and 75 in the Syurmaly district of the Iravan province. In total, 198 villages were destroyed and about 135,000 Azerbaijanis were subjected to genocide and forced deportation.

With the same criminal goal in 1948-1953, more than 150 thousand Azerbaijanis were massively and forcibly expelled from their homes in the territory of the Armenian SSR, thousands of people, including the elderly and children, died, unable to withstand the difficult conditions of resettlement, drastic climatic changes, physical upheaval and mental anguish.

These crimes systematically continued during 1988-1992, more than 250 thousand Azerbaijanis were deported from 185 settlements of Western Azerbaijan (modern-day Armenia) and subjected to persecution by the Armenian government, the "Karabakh" and "Krunk" committees and 216 Azerbaijanis were ruthlessly killed by the Armenian armed forces.

On the facts listed above, a criminal case has been initiated under articles of the Criminal Code 103 (genocide), 107 (deportation or forced relocation of the population), 109 (persecution), 120.2.4 (premeditated murder with special cruelty), 120.2.7 (murder of two or more persons). The investigation is assigned to the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office.