Armenia

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan provided both public and confidential testimony in a select committee investigating the causes of Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Pashinyan’s testimony covered both his decisions regarding the use of weapons and military strategy as well as his position in pre-war negotiations to reach a possible settlement with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory. The testimony followed Pashinyan’s offer to publicly recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan if Baku guarantees the security of its ethnic Armenian population in May 2023, a historic change in Armenian policy which prompted strong criticism from opposition groups and the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Parliament

On 6 October, Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract Party appointed allies to the politically independent Electoral Commission and Supreme Judicial Council. The appointments have been criticized by civil society for undermining independent institutions in a similar manner to Armenia’s previous government.

Electoral Management Body Judiciary

Fighting on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border killed 207 Armenian soldiers, 80 Azerbaijani soldiers, and 4 Armenian civilians. Over 2,700 Armenian civilians were evacuated from the border area. Contrary to the two previous wars and long-running low-level hostilities between the two countries, the fighting did not involve the disputed enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, but Azerbaijan’s incursions into the internationally-recognized borders of Armenia. Videos released online from the fighting showed what appears to be attacks on Armenian civilian infrastructure and the execution of Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani forces. Azerbaijan has blamed undocumented Armenian provocations for the outbreak of fighting. 

War Crimes Interstate War Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Azerbaijan