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COMMENTARY OF THE NKR MFA INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2012-05-02 11:19
In late April - early May 1991, special police detachments (OMON) of
the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, with the support of
the USSR Interior Ministry's troops, launched a large-scale punitive
operation of Ring, the essence of which was to exile the Armenian
population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, the Shahumian
region, and some regions of Northern Artsakh (the Khanlar, Dashkesan,
Kedabek, and Shamkhor regions of the former Azerbaijani SSR).
As a result of this operation, dozens of Armenian settlements were
completely devastated, destroyed or populated by Azerbaijanis. Tens
of thousands of people were deported, hundreds were killed. It was the
operation of Ring characterized by unprecedented cruelty and mass human
rights violations that dramatically increased the level of tension in
the region and transferred the Karabakh conflict to a military plane.
The report of the CSCE Mission of February 28, 1992 noted that
"particularly serious escalation took place in April-May 1991 when the
Soviet Army, with the support of the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry's
units, deported Armenians from many villages of the region. The
deportation was carried out with extreme cruelty".
The events, which took place during the operation of Ring, were
reflected in the documents of some international organizations, became
a subject of hearings at the Human Rights Committee of the Supreme
Soviet of the Russian Federation and got the corresponding assessment
in the resolutions of the European Parliament and the U.S. Senate.
The Human Rights Center of Memorial Moscow Association stated gross
violations of the basic human rights: "They grossly violated the right
of every person to life, liberty, and security; they used tortures,
carried out arbitrary arrests and detentions and committed numerous
property offenses. The practice of people's deportation acquired a
mass character. Particularly cynical these violations were made by
the fact that the mass violence against the civilians was committed by
the law enforcement agencies. The responsibility for this rests with
the top leadership of the Azerbaijani Republic, Azerbaijan's Interior
Ministry and Committee for State Security (KGB), as well as with the
leadership of the USSR Interior Ministry, Ministry of Defense and the
Command of the USSR MIA Interior Troops. These crimes cast a shadow
also on the top leadership of the USSR".
On May 1, 1991, the U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a resolution
condemning the crimes committed by the authorities of the USSR
and Azerbaijan against the Armenian population. The resolution,
in particular, condemned "the attacks on innocent men, women and
children in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the adjacent Armenian settlements and
in Armenia; the large-scale use of military force and firing of the
unarmed population on the eastern and southern borders of Armenia",
as well as contained calls "to put an end to the blockades and other
forms of force and the terror against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh".
On May 25, a draft statement on the situation in some regions of
Armenia and Azerbaijan was submitted to the session of the Fourth
Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic (RSFSR) for consideration and was approved by
the overwhelming majority of votes. The statement, in particular,
noted that "in accordance with the internationally accepted norms
and conventions on human rights, the deportation of civilians must
be immediately stopped, the hostages must be freed, and the suspects
on cases of armed clashes must be transferred to the prosecution of
the USSR Prosecutor's Office".
However, the crimes committed during the operation of Ring haven't
got the proper political and legal assessment by the international
community and their organizers and executors are still unpunished.
This became a precedent for new military crimes and inhumane actions
by Azerbaijan against the peaceful Armenian population.
The deported residents are still unable to return to their homes and
they haven't received any reimbursement so far.
Unfortunately, we also have to state that the Armenian villages
deported during the operation of Ring are not mentioned in any
of the documents proposed by the international mediators for the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2012-05-02 11:19
In late April - early May 1991, special police detachments (OMON) of
the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, with the support of
the USSR Interior Ministry's troops, launched a large-scale punitive
operation of Ring, the essence of which was to exile the Armenian
population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, the Shahumian
region, and some regions of Northern Artsakh (the Khanlar, Dashkesan,
Kedabek, and Shamkhor regions of the former Azerbaijani SSR).
As a result of this operation, dozens of Armenian settlements were
completely devastated, destroyed or populated by Azerbaijanis. Tens
of thousands of people were deported, hundreds were killed. It was the
operation of Ring characterized by unprecedented cruelty and mass human
rights violations that dramatically increased the level of tension in
the region and transferred the Karabakh conflict to a military plane.
The report of the CSCE Mission of February 28, 1992 noted that
"particularly serious escalation took place in April-May 1991 when the
Soviet Army, with the support of the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry's
units, deported Armenians from many villages of the region. The
deportation was carried out with extreme cruelty".
The events, which took place during the operation of Ring, were
reflected in the documents of some international organizations, became
a subject of hearings at the Human Rights Committee of the Supreme
Soviet of the Russian Federation and got the corresponding assessment
in the resolutions of the European Parliament and the U.S. Senate.
The Human Rights Center of Memorial Moscow Association stated gross
violations of the basic human rights: "They grossly violated the right
of every person to life, liberty, and security; they used tortures,
carried out arbitrary arrests and detentions and committed numerous
property offenses. The practice of people's deportation acquired a
mass character. Particularly cynical these violations were made by
the fact that the mass violence against the civilians was committed by
the law enforcement agencies. The responsibility for this rests with
the top leadership of the Azerbaijani Republic, Azerbaijan's Interior
Ministry and Committee for State Security (KGB), as well as with the
leadership of the USSR Interior Ministry, Ministry of Defense and the
Command of the USSR MIA Interior Troops. These crimes cast a shadow
also on the top leadership of the USSR".
On May 1, 1991, the U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a resolution
condemning the crimes committed by the authorities of the USSR
and Azerbaijan against the Armenian population. The resolution,
in particular, condemned "the attacks on innocent men, women and
children in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the adjacent Armenian settlements and
in Armenia; the large-scale use of military force and firing of the
unarmed population on the eastern and southern borders of Armenia",
as well as contained calls "to put an end to the blockades and other
forms of force and the terror against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh".
On May 25, a draft statement on the situation in some regions of
Armenia and Azerbaijan was submitted to the session of the Fourth
Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic (RSFSR) for consideration and was approved by
the overwhelming majority of votes. The statement, in particular,
noted that "in accordance with the internationally accepted norms
and conventions on human rights, the deportation of civilians must
be immediately stopped, the hostages must be freed, and the suspects
on cases of armed clashes must be transferred to the prosecution of
the USSR Prosecutor's Office".
However, the crimes committed during the operation of Ring haven't
got the proper political and legal assessment by the international
community and their organizers and executors are still unpunished.
This became a precedent for new military crimes and inhumane actions
by Azerbaijan against the peaceful Armenian population.
The deported residents are still unable to return to their homes and
they haven't received any reimbursement so far.
Unfortunately, we also have to state that the Armenian villages
deported during the operation of Ring are not mentioned in any
of the documents proposed by the international mediators for the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement.