Karabakh blockade: Unborn baby dies as mother can’t reach hospital

PanARMENIAN.Net - A baby in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) died before being born amid Azerbaijan’s complete blockade of the Lachin Corridor – the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia -- the country’s Human Rights Defender’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, August 15.

The baby’s mother could not reach the hospital on time due to severe fuel shortage in Karabakh.

“The Human Rights Defender records that the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan has resulted in the gross violation of the fundamental rights of the residents of NagornoKarabakh, including the rights to life, dignity, physical and mental health and healthcare, freedom of movement, food and an adequate standard of living, housing, and other socioeconomic and cultural rights,” the statement said.

“The blockade has a particular adverse impact on the rights of representatives of vulnerable groups, such as children, women, persons with disabilities, etc. In particular, 9000 persons with disabilities, 20,000 older persons, and 60,000 women are under the blockade.”

Also Tuesday, Karabakh Human Rights Defender said that a man died from starvation.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population.