Today marks 27 years since Lachin district of Azerbaijan was occupied by the Armenian armed forces.
At night of May 17, 1992, the occupants began their raid on Lachin district, entering the territory of Azerbaijan through the so-called Lachin corridor. During the capture of Lachin, more than 300 military and civilians died and went missing. About 77 thousand residents of Lachin became internally displaced persons and now live in different regions of Azerbaijan.
As a result of an assault, the Armenian armed forces seriously damaged state and private property of the region - 217 cultural institutions, 101 educational institutions, 142 health institutions, 462 trade objects, 30 communication facilities, two motor transport enterprises and other production facilities were looted and destroyed. Also, more than 200 local historical monuments and 54 monuments of global importance were damaged by invaders. Among the ruined monuments are Albanian Aghoghlan Monastery, Malik Ajdar Tomb, a mosque in the village of Garagyshlag, an ancient cemetery in the village of Zabuh. In addition, the Lachin Historical Museum and the old collection of gold, silver and bronze coins were looted.
On the eve of the 27th anniversary of the occupation of the Lachin region, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement that the Armenian side, grossly violating the requirements of the international humanitarian law, including obligations under the Geneva Conventions, continues illegal activities in both the Lachin region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan: the geographical names are changed, the natural resources of the region are plundered, the infrastructure is illegally changed. Also, the Armenian authorities, by conducting a targeted settlement policy, are changing the demographic composition of the region. In 2015, the European Court of Human Rights, in the case ”Chiragov and Others against Armenia”, issued a judgment in favor of the citizens of Azerbaijan forcibly expelled from Lachin district, as their property rights, respect for private and family life enshrined The European Convention on Human Rights were violated.
The fact of an armed attack on the Lachin region, including the Lachin air bombing in mid-May 1992, is described in the paragraphs 19-20 of this decision.
