Freedom House ranks Artsakh Not Free after Azerbaijani occupation; it losses 40 points at once
ArmInfo. "Nagorno-Karabakh is rated Not Free by our 2024 Freedom in the World report", the human rights organization wrote on its Twitter (X ) page.
"The territory experienced the year's steepest decline, losing 40 points due to the Azerbaijani regime's blockade and military offensive," they added.
At the same time, detailed information already on the Organization's website emphasizes that "Nagorno-Karabakh's status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to an Azerbaijani blockade and military offensive that culminated in the dissolution of local political, legal, and civic institutions and the departure of nearly all of the civilian population."
"Freedom in the Worldreports assess the level of political rights and civil liberties in a given geographical area, regardless of whether they are affected by the state, nonstate actors, or foreign powers. Disputed or occupied territories are sometimes assessed separately if they meet certain criteria, including boundaries that are sufficiently stable to allow year-on-year comparisons. For more information, see the reportmethodologyandFAQ," the Freedom House remindes.
The Organization's overview notes that the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which also called itself the Republic of Artsakh, enjoyed de facto independence from Azerbaijan after a 1994 cease-fire agreement that ended roughly two years of open warfare, though its independence was never recognized by any UN member states.
"The territory's population consisted mostly of ethnic Armenians, and given its geographic and diplomatic isolation, it was dependent on close political and economic ties with Armenia. In 2023, the local government announced its dissolution following a military operation led by Azerbaijani authorities that resulted in the mass departure of the ethnic Armenian population. At year's end, bilateral peace talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments were ongoing, and the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh remained largely depopulated," the Organization stresses.