SW News: The International Court of Justice has ordered Azerbaijan to lift the two-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. The blockade prevented 120,000 people from getting access to food, medication, and other necessities.

The Court observed that since 12 December 2022, the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia via the Lachin Corridor has been disrupted. The Court notes that several consequences have resulted from this situation and that the impact on those affected persists to this date

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination requires Azerbaijan to take all steps to ensure the unhindered movement of people, vehicles, and cargo in both directions along the Lachin Corridor.

Armenian Christians living in Nagorno-Karabakh are suffering due to the blockade that’s preventing much-needed resources from reaching the region. Azerbaijani protestors blocked the only road into the landlocked territory.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region internationally recognized as Azerbaijani but mostly run by ethnic Armenians and backed by the Armenian government since 1994. Armenia is predominantly Christian, while Azerbaijan is Muslim. Christians get caught in the deep animosity that exists between the two countries. In Azerbaijan, no religious activities beyond state-run and state-controlled institutions are allowed.

The state-run Artsakh InfoCenter posted on Facebook, “Due to the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan for 78 days, as well as due to the constant stress caused by uncertainties and threats due to the criminal actions of Azerbaijan, the indicators of the number of diseases and complications in Artsakh increased compared to the same period last year. Among them are coronary heart disease - 58%, stroke - 36%, complications of childbirth - 11.6%, and several other diseases. Among adults and children, an increase in neuro-psychological problems is recorded, manifested in an increase of 46% in calls to neurologists and psychologists of children, and 47% in adults. Compared to the same period last year, there was a 25% increase in surgical interventions for intestinal obstruction, which may be due to a deficiency of fiber in food. And in connection with periodic outages and incomplete restoration of the gas supply, 30 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning were recorded.”