The drama of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. ‘It was an ethnic cleansing’

The Armenian drama continues. Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh cannot hold back their tears, human rights experts say.

“It was really an ethnic cleansing,” says young lawyer and human rights specialist Christina Petrosyan, speaking about the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh around September and October. The chairman of the non-governmental organization “Legal Culture” provides assistance to refugees who reached Armenia. The vast majority of 120,000 people fled there. inhabitants of the region that came under the control of Azerbaijan. They still hope to return, even though they know that is unlikely, he emphasizes.

Ethnic cleansing

The road itself posed many challenges for these people, for example because they had no fuel. In Armenia they receive some government support, but they are afraid to live in the houses they receive as part of this aid because they are close to the border with Azerbaijan. Christina Petrosian tells Vatican Radio how refugees suffer both externally and internally because they have lost everything.

“Their mental state is terrible, terrible. For example, when I go to their houses where they are now and try to help them, give them some food and clothes, I see people who came here with only one pair of shoes because they were attacked, shot at and don’t even try everything for a change to accept. They didn’t have time for this. They fled in great haste because they were attacked. Many people could not bring diplomas or certificates that they had worked somewhere, so now it is very difficult for them to prove, for example, their ten years of professional experience or education – says the woman. – It is not just poor people who have been unemployed for a long time who are now living in very poor living conditions. I help a family of previously high-ranking physicians. Their children were studying. This is about the very high level of education and living in Nagorno-Karabakh. But now they have nothing and they are ashamed, confused, very unhappy, depressed. For example, one woman said that she really needed a therapist because she had not been able to sleep for days. They often have not only mental problems, but also physical ones. Sometimes you can tell from the people you meet when you talk to them that they are about to cry. These people are ready to cry every minute for the reasons mentioned. And you feel that they will cry: even if they don’t cry for you now, you know it will happen.

Nagorno-Karabakh. Oriman drama

While there is a faint hope that they will receive help, the Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh are feeling a lot of fear, notes Christina Petrosyan. “They have a lot of concerns. And not only them, but all the people of Armenia, each of us has many concerns. First of all, we fear a new military attack from Azerbaijan. Because two cases of gunfight have already been reported in the past few days. So the first fear is a likely military attack by Azerbaijan and the associated possible major war in which Turkey could become involved. Some people fear this is their worst nightmare. These people are afraid that the events that have happened so far are not the only thing that will happen to them. They have often experienced three wars in their lives and would like them not to happen again, but they have the feeling that this could happen, that this is not the end and that what is to come will be even worse, notes Christina Petrosjan on. – Second, they are afraid that they will remain in their current state until they die. But these fears are not so great, because our nation is starting from scratch, not giving up and creating a new life. And even if they say, “we are very tired of the wars, we are tired of having to start over every time it happens”, they just keep working and keep building their new houses. So the biggest fear is that they haven’t seen the worst yet, even now.”

Source: Do Rzeczy

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