A group of Armenian NGOs called on the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the de-Armenianization of Artsakh.

Arminfo.  A group of organizations, including the Union of Artsakh, issued a statement on the third anniversary of the de-Armenianization of Artsakh and called on the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable for what it had done.

"Three years ago this month, Azerbaijan forcibly expelled the entire Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) from their historic homeland. On this anniversary, we, the undersigned, insist that their forced displacement was not an accidental consequence of the war, and that the war has not yet ended. We call on the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable," the statement says.

It recalls that in December 2022, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin (Berdzor) Corridor, subjecting around 120,000 people to a nine-month siege.

"On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against the starving population. Within a week, almost all Armenians of Artsakh were forced to leave their homeland, and the Republic of Artsakh was dissolved. To this day, none of them have been allowed to return.

On November 17, 2023, the International Court ordered Azerbaijan to ensure the safe, unhindered and prompt return of those who had fled Artsakh. This decision has still not been implemented, and Azerbaijan bears no responsibility whatsoever for ignoring it," the statement of the group of organizations further says.

It further emphasizes that Azerbaijan continues to hold hostage leaders and officials captured in Artsakh. In February 2026, Baku sentenced sixteen of them, including former presidents Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, as well as former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, to terms ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment. Amnesty International called their sentences "an outrageous mockery."

"The authorities of the Republic of Armenia bear their share of responsibility. The government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is promoting the ideology of "Real Armenia," which has pushed Artsakh out of the official discourse. Displaced persons from Artsakh are subjected to serious deprivation. Any disagreement with the promoted ideology of "Real Armenia" on the issue of Artsakh. And most importantly, the people of Artsakh have been deprived of the opportunity to express their opinion," the statement says.

In this regard, the group of organizations appealed to the international community, calling for the following to be ensured: the immediate release of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan; full implementation of the decision of the International Court and realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to return; the imposition of targeted sanctions against those responsible; independent international oversight of the preservation of Artsakh’s Armenian historical and cultural heritage; full representation of the people of Artsakh in processes related to their return; respect for the rights of forcibly displaced persons and an end to persecution by the Armenian government.

"Three years is not a period after which a people should forget their homeland, and it cannot be an excuse for the inaction of others," the statement concludes.