YEREVAN, JANUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. Hundreds of families are still separated and many children haven’t seen their parents for already 24 days due to the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), the Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said.

“Like all other children, Artsakh children also deserve love and support, nutrition, safety, and security. BUT!!! Due to the Artsakh blockade by Azerbaijan, hundreds of families are now separated, and children have not seen their parents for almost 24 days. OPEN THE ROAD OF LIFE,” Stepanyan tweeted.

Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since 12 December 2022. The Lachin Corridor is the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world. The closure resulted in 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh being isolated and deprived from the right to freedom of movement. Nearly all grocery stores and pharmacies are empty amid widespread shortages of essential items because the road is the only supply route. Hundreds of families were separated and are unable to return to their loved ones.

The blockade is organized by the Azerbaijani authorities under the fake pretext of an environmental demonstration demanding access to a mine for inspection.  Furthermore, many of the self-described environmentalists blocking the road have been identified as military intelligence officers or other state-affiliated agents of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the government of Artsakh said it would halt the operations of the mine operated by Base Metals and invite an international monitoring to inspect the site. However, the road is still blocked by the Azerbaijanis, once again proving that the blockade has nothing to do with any environmental campaign.

Officials in Armenia and Artsakh have numerously warned that by blocking the road Azerbaijan wants to cause a humanitarian catastrophe and commit ethnic cleansing against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.