Thread by @algalitsky

Thread 🧵: The question of refugees has characterized much of the debate over Artsakh's status.

But that conversation has focused exclusively on Azeris displaced as a result of their govt's war, while ignoring the 400,000+ Armenians forced from their homes in Azerbaijan. 1/16

For the Armenians displaced from Azerbaijan (Baku, Sumgait, Kirovabad) and Artsakh, many had no choice but to leave Armenia because of the dire situation the country was in as a result of Azerbaijan's war. Many left to Russia in search of economic opportunities. 2/16

In Azerbaijan, the situation played out very differently. 600,000-700,000 Azeris were displaced during the war: ~200,000 from Armenia & the remainder from the regions around the NKAO. These groups were treated very differently by the govt to suit its political agenda. 3/16

Azeri refugees from Armenia were fully integrated into Azerbaijani society and afforded full citizenship rights. Those from Karabakh, however, were treated as second-class citizens; forced to live in a state of limbo for decades, mistreated and exploited by the govt. 4/16

Azerbaijan's government has seen these refugees as vital to its settlement & occupation strategy. They were deployed as a cynical political tool to evoke sympathy from the int'l community & vilify Armenia - all while being denied basic rights by the Azeri government. 5/16

The Azerbaijani government forced these refugees to live in tent camps, denied them citizenship rights, controlled their movement, and located many close to the line of contact with Armenia to use as human shields. 6/16

Most tent camps were closed in 2007 as the situation became untenable - so the government moved towards a more sophisticated strategy of cultivating the dependency of refugee communities on the state by denying fundamental rights & freedoms. 7/16

Most were moved to sub-temporary housing in old Soviet buildings, hostels, schools and other derelict public buildings. Approximately a quarter were moved into purpose-built housing in rural areas (near the LoC). The govt. has also heavily subsidized their costs of living. 8/16

This didn't necessarily improve the fortunes of the refugees, however. They were economically & politically isolated to prevent permanent re-integration, denied basic property rights, and also denied basic civil rights. Many are still denied citizenship. 9/16

The Azerbaijani government has viewed refugees as central to its objective to conquer Artsakh not just militarily, but demographically. Generations of Azerbaijanis have been born stateless as part of their government's cynical campaign. 10/16

Int'l orgs - including the UN - have praised Azerbaijan's "commitment to improving" the situation of refugees. But the question they have failed to consider is why people are still considered "internally displaced" 30 years on - and why that population has grown. 11/16

The fact that Azerbaijan was able & willing to integrate refugees from Armenia into Azerbaijani society makes it clear that the situation for Karabakh refugees was manufactured to allow Azerbaijan to exploit their condition as a means of advancing its objectives. 12/16

The int'l community has largely fallen for this ploy. The rhetoric surrounding refugees and displacement has always favored Azerbaijan, despite the cruel and inhumane treatment Azerbaijan has subjected them to. 13/16

Simultaneously, the international community has ignored the fact that 400,000+ Armenians were displaced by Azerbaijan. They also ignore the fact that the war began as a result of the pogroms and massacres of Armenians in Azerbaijan that led to mass displacement. 14/16

The sad truth is that the narrative of displacement has been defined purely by visibility (or lack thereof). Displaced Armenians left Armenia, crippled by a devastating earthquake and war - while displaced Azeris were put on display by their govt for the purposes of PR. 15/16

This doesn't dismiss the plight of Azeri refugees - they are victims of an oppressive govt that has done everything it can to dehumanize them.

But we can't continue to sideline the experiences of displaced Armenians & legitimize the politicization of a humanitarian crisis. 16/16

There isn't much research on Azerbaijani refugees, specifically because the Azeri govt has sought to cover up the denial of their basic human rights & project to the outside world its "humanitarian" work. But here is one in-depth study:

brookings.edu/wp-content/upl…

As a side note, take the numbers with a grain of salt. They're based on estimates by int'l orgs, but by their own admission are marred with inaccuracies due to poor census data and political manipulation. This is problematic, but numbers don't change the underlying issue.

Azerbaijan has claimed one million people were displaced. But by most credible assessments, the one million figure was the total number of displaced persons, including the 400,000+ Armenians. Azerbaijan's numerical manipulation is part of the erasure of the Armenian experience.

That said, we need to get over the fixation on absolute numbers - they don't tell the whole story. 400,000+ Armenians of the Arm SSR's population of 3.3 million is 12%. 700,000 Azerbaijanis (being generous) of the Az. SSR's pop. of 7 million is 10%.

These numbers also say nothing of why this displacement happened (Azerbaijan's genocidal aggression), or the impact displacement had on each country (Armenia was economically crippled, Azerbaijan has immense oil wealth).

At a more fundamental level - does the number of displaced people make one group more or less deserving of attention? Of course not - that's not how human rights work. Displacement on any scale is a tragic - which is why the erasure of displaced Armenians is so amoral.