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An expert report has confirmed that Azerbaijan committed war crimes during the war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in 2020, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan said in a statement on Friday. His full statement is provided below.

"Apart from a number of statements and videos, the fact of the use of phosphorus weapons by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war was also confirmed by an expert examination.

In 2020 the ombudspersons of Armenia and Artsakh published a joint Ad Hoc Public Report On The Use Of Incendiary Ammunition Of Mass Destruction (Incendiary Weapon) Against Civilian Objects Of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) By The Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

As part of the fact-finding work carried out by the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, a number of videos testifying to the use of phosphorous weapons were found and examined, and soldiers with various degrees of chemical burns were treated in Artsakh and Armenian medical institutions.

The expert conclusion summed up the whole picture, which has been voiced for two years. The examination results are irrefutable evidence that during the 44-day war, Azerbaijan committed war crimes, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law and the obligations assumed thereby.

The phosphorus weapon:

1. has the nature of mass destruction,
2. is capable of causing significant human losses, causing suffering,
3. is capable of causing significant damage to the surrounding natural environment,
4. its application to the civilian population is prohibited.

The international community does not have the right to ignore the facts that testify to the criminal goals and actions of Azerbaijan and to believe the false and groundless "guarantees-promises" of Azerbaijan."