Amnesty International has verified the use of banned cluster bombs by Armenia following an attack on the city of Barda in Azerbaijan.
Amnesty International’s Crisis Response experts verified pictures (taken by Vice News reporters in the city) of fragments of 9N235 cluster munitions from 9M55 Smerch rockets, that appear to have been fired into the city by Armenian forces.
"The firing of cluster munitions into civilian areas is cruel and reckless, and causes untold death, injury and misery," Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Marie Struthers said.
"Cluster munitions are inherently indiscriminate weapons, and their use in any circumstances is banned under international humanitarian law," she added.
On October 28, the Azerbaijani city of Barda was subjected to a massive missile attack by the Armenian armed forces. As a result of a missile strike, 16 men and five women were killed the day before, another 70 people, including eight children and 15 women, were injured of varying severity. On October 27, Barda region was also attacked with Armenia's reactive missiles, four people were killed, including a 7-year-old girl, 14 people, including 4 children, were injured.
