‘What 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh realized in just a few days took some of them two and a half years to understand’ – Stepanyan

The last Armenians remaining in Artsakh, who in September–October 2023 believed they could live under Azerbaijani control, have now realized that this was a mistake and impossible, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan said in an interview with Alpha News.

“What became clear to 120,000 people in just a few days took some 2.5 years to realize—that living under Azerbaijani authority is equivalent to putting one’s life at risk,” Stepanyan said.

The Human Rights Defender emphasized that this reality led to the complete displacement of the remaining population—just a few dozen people—who all moved to Armenia.

Stepanyan also added that he does not yet have precise information about who may have returned, but the fact remains that there are no Armenians left in Artsakh.