IMPUNITY FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST ARMENIANS IN SOVIET AZERBAIJAN DURING THE FINAL YEARS OF THE USSR. THE COMPLETE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF ARMENIANS FROM ARTSAKH

Abstract

In the late 1980s, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the “Perestroika” policy and inspired by the slogan “Publicization” the Armenian population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO) appealed to the Supreme Councils of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the USSR, requesting a fair resolution to the Artsakh issue. Seeking to silence the people of Artsakh and bury their right to self-determination to live safely, the Azerbaijani authorities, with the tacit approval of the USSR leadership, carried out mass killings of Armenians. Following the collapse of the USSR, Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence. As a result of ethnic cleansing and forced deportations, Artsakh was entirely depopulated of Armenians. Azerbaijan's actions against the people of Artsakh constitute genocide, which has yet to receive international legal recognition. Within the scope of this topic, we have researched and highlighted undeniable facts that reflect Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians.