The Maragha Killings, April 1992

On April 10, 1992, Azerbaijani forces attacked the Armenian-populated village of Maragha, in the northeastern part of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian civilians were killed, and others were taken captive or disappeared.

Accounts of the precise death toll vary. Contemporary investigations and survivor testimony describe killings of civilians, destruction of property, and hostage-taking.

British humanitarian activist Caroline Cox and other visitors documented testimony and evidence concerning the aftermath.

The village became a major symbol of Armenian civilian suffering during the war.

Maragha also illustrates a broader pattern: villages frequently changed hands, civilians were trapped during military advances, and some armed units committed grave abuses against people who were not participating in hostilities.

The treatment of captives and civilians violated fundamental humanitarian protections regardless of which military force controlled the area.