Thread by @astroehlein

#Azerbaijan has repeatedly used widely banned cluster munitions in residential areas in Nagorno-#Karabakh.

New on-the-ground investigation by Human Rights Watch shows, "flagrant disregard for the safety of civilians".
hrw.org/news/2020/10/2…

In #NagornoKarabakh conflict, we're investigating all sides & whether they adhere to international humanitarian law, which requires armed forces to distinguish between combatants & civilians, and between military & civilian objects, at all times. Indiscriminate attacks prohibited

Human Rights Watch examined remnants of the rockets, impacts, and remnants of submunitions that exploded, as well as dud submunitions that failed to function at several locations in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s administrative center, which is called Khankendi in Azerbaijan.

“The children started to scream & everyone was panicking when the bombs started coming down. We ... saw that the cars were burning. We saw that they had small pink things that were making them burn, so we ran down to the basement.” - 69-year-old woman in Stepanakert

HRW was not able to identify any military equipment or bases in the three neighborhoods where the attacks took place. Even if there had been, given the indiscriminate effects of cluster munitions, their use in a residential civilian setting is not permitted under the laws of war.

Cluster munitions have been banned because of their widespread indiscriminate effect and long-lasting danger to civilians.

Cluster munitions typically explode in the air and send dozens, even hundreds, of small bomblets over an area the size of a football field. Cluster submunitions often fail to explode on initial impact, leaving duds that act like landmines.

"The repeated use of cluster munitions by #Azerbaijan should cease immediately as their continued use serves to heighten the danger for civilians for years to come." - Stephen Goose, arms division director at HRW.

Azerbaijani officials have accused the Armenian side of using cluster munitions, but HRW has not independently verified those claims. HRW has made repeated requests to the Azerbaijani government for access to conduct on-site investigations, but access has not yet been granted.

For more details & photos, please see our new report: bit.ly/35u2COi

And follow my colleague, @Giorgi_Gogia

https://twitter.com/Giorgi_Gogia/status/1319522479262568448

I'm seeing replies to this thread from all sides using arguments based on who "owns" NK. The fact is, that doesn't matter when it comes to violations of international humanitarian law: all parties to the conflict are bound by it regardless of territorial claims.