Armenians living on their ancestral lands were met with Azeri aggression a few days ago, amid the absence of bread, electricity, and medicine, due to the monthslong blockade by the petroleum-fueled regime.<\/p>\n
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<\/picture><\/div>\nRefugees from Artsakh arrive at the Azeri-Armenian border.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Shant Khatcherian<\/span><\/h5>\nThis tragedy could have been prevented, yet world leaders looked away, pretending the Azeri oppression that led to it didn’t exist. The signs of ethnic cleansing were evident all along; no one today can claim they didn’t see it coming. History will harshly judge those who could have acted but chose not to do anything to help.<\/p>\n
In the United States, representatives and senators,<\/a> along with celebrities like Kim Kardashian,<\/a> and Cher<\/a>, implored President Joe Biden<\/a> to act. Last month, a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) spoke out, asserting that there was “reasonable basis to believe” the Azeri regime’s repression of ethnic Armenians met the U.N.’s criteria for genocide<\/a>.<\/p>\nFor 10 long months, Azerbaijan has isolated<\/a> 120,000 Armenians from the rest of the world<\/a>, leaving them without essential resources, like food and medicine. The media’s silence on these atrocities shook my faith as a journalist, and raised questions about our profession’s purpose\u2014if not to objectively report and help halt crimes against humanity, what then?<\/p>\nThe European Union (EU) was another disappointment. In the summer of 2022, the EU struck gas deals with the Azeri regime. Is that why the EU has been quiet about the ethnic cleansing?<\/a> Turkey likewise has demonstrated its support for Azerbaijan<\/a> time after time.<\/p>\nThe silence of world leaders, the media, and other influential actors paved the way for Azerbaijan’s showering of bombs upon Artsakh, some were even aimed at civilians for an “anti-terrorist operation<\/a>.” No one cared about the Armenians of Artsakh before bombs started falling from the sky.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n“And this is a non-binding recognition for which Armenian Genocide?”<\/span> Lucine Kasbarian<\/span><\/h5>\n
\nThe death toll remains uncertain, but an estimated 200 lives<\/a> have been lost, according to sources on the ground. More than 200<\/a> were injured in a recent fuel depot blast in Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/p>\nMy social media feed is flooded with grieving Armenians. Armenian activists in the diaspora who tried relentlessly to sound the alarm but weren’t heard are now living their worst nightmares. Armenians on the Azeri-Armenian border, who are hosting refugees, openly weep as they embrace their compatriots, including the elderly, those with health impairments, and families with children who fled their homeland.<\/a><\/p>\nWhen I call fellow journalists and human rights activists in Artsakh and Armenia, they are equally despondent. They send more photos now of Armenians fleeing and crossing the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, faces etched with fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n
For 10 long months, Azerbaijan has isolated<\/a> 120,000 Armenians from the rest of the world<\/a>, leaving them without essential resources, like food and medicine. The media’s silence on these atrocities shook my faith as a journalist, and raised questions about our profession’s purpose\u2014if not to objectively report and help halt crimes against humanity, what then?<\/p>\n The European Union (EU) was another disappointment. In the summer of 2022, the EU struck gas deals with the Azeri regime. Is that why the EU has been quiet about the ethnic cleansing?<\/a> Turkey likewise has demonstrated its support for Azerbaijan<\/a> time after time.<\/p>\n The silence of world leaders, the media, and other influential actors paved the way for Azerbaijan’s showering of bombs upon Artsakh, some were even aimed at civilians for an “anti-terrorist operation<\/a>.” No one cared about the Armenians of Artsakh before bombs started falling from the sky.<\/p>\n The death toll remains uncertain, but an estimated 200 lives<\/a> have been lost, according to sources on the ground. More than 200<\/a> were injured in a recent fuel depot blast in Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/p>\n My social media feed is flooded with grieving Armenians. Armenian activists in the diaspora who tried relentlessly to sound the alarm but weren’t heard are now living their worst nightmares. Armenians on the Azeri-Armenian border, who are hosting refugees, openly weep as they embrace their compatriots, including the elderly, those with health impairments, and families with children who fled their homeland.<\/a><\/p>\n When I call fellow journalists and human rights activists in Artsakh and Armenia, they are equally despondent. They send more photos now of Armenians fleeing and crossing the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, faces etched with fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n“And this is a non-binding recognition for which Armenian Genocide?”<\/span> Lucine Kasbarian<\/span><\/h5>\n
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