On October 8, the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan visited hospital to get acquainted with the health conditions of three foreign journalists who had been wounded as a result of the strike of Azerbaijani armed forces on the Shoushi Ghazanchetsots Cathedral.
The leadership of the hospital informed the Ombudsman that three Russian journalists were wounded during the incident, one of whom is in critical condition, and the other two are in heavy condition. The Ombudsman found out that at the time of attack, the journalists were doing professional work in the church, covering the consequences of the first strike to the same cathedral.
According to the citizens and journalists, who witnessed the incident, a drone was flying over the church before the strike, which then hit the church. These facts clearly show that it was visible to the Azerbaijani armed forces that they were attacking the church and that there were journalists inside it with ''Press'' signs. Hence, it is indisputable that Azerbaijan deliberately targeted journalists and the church. Moreover, within the framework of the fact-finding mission, we revealed that the Azerbaijani armed forces fired rockets at the area around the Shoushi mosque.
Strongly condemning the deliberate targeting of journalists and the church by Azerbaijan, the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh describes it as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Ombudsman urges international human rights organizations to make an appropriate assessment and take measures to punish the perpetrators.
