Civilian Suffering and Humanitarian Consequences

43. The Bombardment of Stepanakert

Stepanakert, known as Khankendi in Azerbaijani, was repeatedly struck during the war.

The city contained civilian neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, businesses, and administrative institutions.

Artillery and rocket attacks caused casualties, damaged infrastructure, and forced residents into shelters.

Many civilians spent extended periods in basements or underground facilities.

Families fled toward Armenia, often carrying only essential belongings.

Human Rights Watch investigated strikes on Stepanakert and documented the use of weapons that could not reliably distinguish between military targets and civilians in populated areas.

The bombardment created substantial humanitarian needs.

Electricity, water supplies, medical services, and communications were disrupted in affected areas.

Older residents and people unable to evacuate were particularly vulnerable.

44. Attacks on Azerbaijani Cities

Azerbaijani cities and towns were also struck by Armenian missiles, rockets, and artillery.

Ganja, Barda, Tartar, and other populated locations suffered civilian casualties and destruction.

The attacks on Ganja in October killed civilians and damaged residential buildings.

The city of Barda experienced particularly deadly attacks late in October.

On October 28, a rocket attack involving cluster munitions killed at least 21 civilians, according to Human Rights Watch's contemporaneous findings.

Human Rights Watch concluded that Armenian forces either fired or supplied munitions used in the attack.

Such attacks intensified fear and suffering among Azerbaijani civilians.

They also demonstrated that civilian harm was not confined to Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

45. Cluster Munitions

Cluster munitions disperse numerous smaller explosive submunitions over an area.

Some explode immediately, while others fail to detonate and remain dangerous for years.

Their wide-area effects make their use in populated areas particularly hazardous.

Human Rights Watch documented cluster munition use by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and by Armenian forces in Azerbaijan.

Amnesty International also documented indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks by both sides.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits these weapons for its parties, although Armenia and Azerbaijan were not parties to the convention during the war.

Regardless of treaty membership, attacks that fail to distinguish civilians from military objectives, or cause excessive expected civilian harm, are prohibited under customary international humanitarian law.

46. Civilian Displacement

The war forced large numbers of people to leave their homes.

Tens of thousands of Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia.

Some families were displaced multiple times as front lines shifted.

People left behind homes, businesses, livestock, personal belongings, and agricultural land.

Many sought temporary shelter with relatives, in hotels, schools, or facilities organized by local authorities and humanitarian groups.

The displacement placed additional pressure on Armenia's social services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Azerbaijanis displaced during the First War, the recovery of territory in 2020 created the possibility of returning to ancestral homes after decades of displacement.

However, extensive destruction, mines, unexploded ordnance, and the absence of infrastructure complicated immediate returns.

47. The Humanitarian Situation of Children

Children were among the most vulnerable victims of the conflict.

Many experienced bombardment, evacuation, separation from relatives, and the loss of homes.

Schools were closed or damaged.

Families struggled to maintain education and healthcare during displacement.

Children who witnessed explosions or the deaths of relatives faced potential long-term psychological consequences.

The war also interrupted ordinary childhood activities and created uncertainty about the future of entire communities.

48. Hospitals and Medical Personnel

Medical facilities in the conflict zone faced enormous pressure.

Doctors treated soldiers and civilians suffering from gunshot wounds, blast injuries, burns, fractures, and other trauma.

Medical workers operated under difficult conditions, including shortages of supplies and interruptions to electricity or transportation.

The war coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic, placing additional burdens on healthcare systems.

International humanitarian law requires protection for medical personnel, hospitals, ambulances, and the wounded, subject to specific legal rules.

Reports of attacks affecting medical facilities and emergency services raised serious concerns.

49. Prisoners of War and Captured Civilians

Both sides captured military personnel during the conflict.

Some civilians also fell into the hands of opposing forces.

After the war, disturbing videos and photographs circulated showing the abuse of captives and the desecration of bodies.

Human rights organizations verified a number of incidents and called for independent investigations.

Armenian prisoners and detainees held by Azerbaijan became a particularly significant postwar issue.

Azerbaijan also raised concerns regarding Azerbaijani captives and missing persons.

International humanitarian law prohibits torture, execution of prisoners, humiliating treatment, and violence against individuals who are no longer participating in hostilities.

The treatment of captives remained one of the most painful and politically sensitive consequences of the war.

50. Extrajudicial Executions and Alleged War Crimes

Human rights organizations documented evidence of grave abuses committed during and after the fighting.

These included apparent executions of prisoners, mistreatment of detainees, attacks on civilians, and desecration of human remains.

Azerbaijani personnel were implicated in several documented incidents involving Armenian captives and civilians.

Evidence also emerged of abuses involving Azerbaijani captives by Armenian personnel.

The existence of violations by one side does not diminish or justify violations committed by the other.

Each incident requires investigation based on the conduct of the individuals and commanders involved.

Amnesty International documented unlawful strikes by both Armenian and Azerbaijani forces and called for accountability.

Under international humanitarian law, deliberately killing civilians or prisoners, torture, and intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects can constitute war crimes.

Commanders may also bear responsibility when applicable legal conditions are met.

51. The Search for Missing Persons

The war left families searching for relatives who had disappeared during military operations.

Some individuals were killed in combat but their remains were not immediately recovered.

Others were captured, separated from units, or lost during chaotic withdrawals.

The identification and repatriation of remains required cooperation between the parties, Russian peacekeepers, forensic specialists, and humanitarian organizations.

DNA analysis became an important tool in identifying victims.

For many families, uncertainty about the fate of missing relatives continued long after the ceasefire.

52. The Human Cost of the War

The 44-Day War killed more than 6,000 people, predominantly military personnel, according to postwar assessments.

Reported totals changed as remains were identified and governments revised casualty figures.

Thousands more were wounded.

The losses affected families throughout Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Beyond the immediate deaths, the conflict produced long-term consequences for disabled veterans, widows, parents, displaced families, and children who lost relatives.

The war's human cost cannot be measured solely through official casualty figures.

It also included destroyed livelihoods, psychological trauma, disrupted education, cultural losses, and the disappearance of communities from places where they had lived for generations.