The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has published extensive article on the difficulties of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) during the siege of Nagorno-Karabakh and the obstacles caused by the Azerbaijani side.
It is stated that during the siege, when tens of thousands of people starved, the Red Cross faced various obstacles in delivering aid, including the Azerbaijani Red Crescent.
“Each next convoy was harder, harder, harder,” said the employee, who was directly involved in the organization’s transports.
“They put pressure, starting from minor things on the spot, up to big things at the Azerbaijani [Foreign Ministry],” they explained, describing bureaucratic and logistical challenges, behind-the-scenes disputes about minor details, and outright bans on movement. “We couldn’t work properly.”
OCCRP’s reporting also highlights a substantial breach in the International Red Cross movement over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: A local branch, the Azerbaijan Red Crescent, publicly opposed the ICRC’s work in the territory.
Though mandated to honor the official Red Cross principles, including neutrality, impartiality, and unity, Azerbaijan Red Crescent officials repeatedly embraced Azerbaijani government narratives, publicly questioned the suffering of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians, and challenged the authority of the ICRC mission.
