Targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime: Ombudsman shares details of Martuni town shelling
According to verified information, Azerbaijan deliberately and purposefully targeted civilian objects in the downtown of Martuni town using "Grad" multiple rocket launcher system, the Artsakh Ombudsman's Office reported.
It reminds that as a result of targeted shelling of civilian population by the Azerbaijani armed forces, 4 civilians were killed and 11 were wounded. Two of the reporters of the French LeMonde Daily were among the wounded. The Ombudsman visited the wounded journalists at the hospital, one of them is in critical condition.
"The Human Rights Defender strongly condemns the shelling of civilian settlements and infrastructure, as well as journalists, and calls on the international community to make an appropriate assessment of Azerbaijan's war crimes," said the statement.
The Ombudsman next appeals to international human rights organizations to organize an urgent visit to Artsakh to carry out a fact-finding mission and prevent the real threat to the life and health of the people of Artsakh.
"It is highly unacceptable for international organizations to turn a blind eye to such war crimes under the guise of baseless political arguments, especially when human rights under the well-known norms of international law are universal and do not depend on the status of the territory. Human right shall never be compromised," said the statement.