UN High Commissioner: Attacks on residential areas are war crimes

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, expressed concern about the indiscriminate attacks on residential areas in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and beyond and said they could be classified as war crimes.

According to Report, the high Commissioner recalled that since the beginning of the conflict's escalation in late September, the UN has repeatedly urged the parties to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties and not to strike civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals. "But despite this, houses were destroyed, streets turned into ruins," said Bachelet.

She stressed that the indiscriminate shelling of human settlements violates international humanitarian law. "Such attacks must stop immediately, and those who gave or carried out the relevant orders must be held accountable," the High Commissioner said.

Since September 27, the Armenian armed forces have repeatedly fired rockets at peaceful Azerbaijani cities, killing at least 91 Azerbaijani civilians and injuring several hundred, and causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure, historical and cultural monuments, and vehicles.