Freedom House ranks Artsakh Not Free after Azerbaijani occupation; it  losses 40 points at once

ArmInfo. "Nagorno-Karabakh is rated Not Free by our 2024 Freedom in the World report", the human  rights organization wrote on its Twitter (X ) page.

"The territory experienced the year's steepest decline, losing 40  points due to the Azerbaijani regime's blockade and military  offensive," they added.

At the same time, detailed information already on the Organization's  website emphasizes that "Nagorno-Karabakh's status declined from  Partly Free to Not Free due to an Azerbaijani blockade and military  offensive that culminated in the dissolution of local political,  legal, and civic institutions and the departure of nearly all of the  civilian population."

"Freedom in the Worldreports assess the level of political rights  and civil liberties in a given geographical area, regardless of  whether they are affected by the state, nonstate actors, or foreign  powers. Disputed or occupied territories are sometimes assessed  separately if they meet certain criteria, including boundaries that  are sufficiently stable to allow year-on-year comparisons. For more  information, see the reportmethodologyandFAQ," the Freedom House  remindes.

The Organization's overview  notes that the Republic of  Nagorno-Karabakh, which also called itself the Republic of Artsakh,  enjoyed de facto independence from Azerbaijan after a 1994 cease-fire  agreement that ended roughly two years of open warfare, though its  independence was never recognized by any UN member states. 

"The territory's population consisted mostly of ethnic Armenians, and  given its geographic and diplomatic isolation, it was dependent on  close political and economic ties with Armenia. In 2023, the local  government announced its dissolution following a military operation  led by Azerbaijani authorities that resulted in the mass departure of  the ethnic Armenian population. At year's end, bilateral peace talks  between the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments were ongoing, and  the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh remained largely depopulated," the  Organization stresses.