US State Department report highlights displacement of Artsakh Armenians and serious human rights violations in Armenia

The US State Department has published its annual human rights report, highlighting the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2023 following Azerbaijan’s military operation.

“This followed Azerbaijan’s closure of the Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to most civilian and commercial access, allowing only intermittent humanitarian access, between December 2022 and September 24, when it reopened for one-way traffic out of Nagorno-Karabakh,” the report says.

The report also addresses Armenia’s internal problems. In particular, it is mentioned that the government took only limited credible steps to investigate and punish alleged human rights abuses by former and sitting government officials and law enforcement authorities.

“There was no reported progress on government investigations of alleged abuses committed by the Armenian armed forces or individuals during the 2020 hostilities,” the report adds.