WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday called for an immediate halt to all indiscriminate attacks in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, warning that strikes on civilian areas could amount to war crimes.
"Attacks carried out in violation of the principle of distinction or the principle of proportionality may amount to war crimes, and the parties to the conflict are obliged to effectively, promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate such violations and to prosecute those alleged to have committed them", Bachelet said. "Such attacks must stop and those responsible for carrying them out, or ordering them, must be held to account."
Bachelet underscored that there have been repeated calls to avoid or at the very least minimise civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure since the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia reignited in late September.
Last week, Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office said that at least 19 people were killed and 60 were injured as a result of Armenia's attack on Barda with banned cluster munitions. The accusations come after a Tuesday attack on the village of Qarayusifli in the Barda region in which four people were killed and another 14 were injured.
"Amid deeply troubling reports that cluster munitions have been used by both parties, I call once again on Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop using them, and to join the more than 100 States that have ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions which comprehensively bans their use", Bachelet said.
Bachelet has called on both sides to the conflict to depoliticise the matter of providing human rights and humanitarian access to all areas impacted by the conflict.
"The outbreak of hostilities clearly poses a direct threat to public health with already limited resources diverted from combatting a health emergency to waging a long-standing conflict. The fighting is also strikingly in opposition to the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire amid the pandemic", she said.
Armed hostilities between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh have been ongoing since September 27. The parties have since agreed to three humanitarian ceasefires, however, all three were broken mere hours after entering into force.