Amnesty International today issued two reports finding that older people were the main civilian victims in the decades long Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

One report, Last to Flee: Older People’s Experience of War Crimes and Displacement in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, documents how older ethnic Armenians were disproportionately subjected to violence in the recent conflict, including war crimes such as extrajudicial executions, as well as torture and other ill-treatment while in Azerbaijani detention.

The other report, ‘Life in a Box’: Older People’s Experiences of Displacement and Prospects for Return in Azerbaijan, details the suffering experienced by older Azerbaijanis who were forced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts during the first conflict.

“The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh highlights the unique risks that older people face in armed conflicts. Often the last to flee, they also suffer the consequences of war for decades on end,” writes Laura Mills, Researcher on Older People with Amnesty International’s Crisis Response team.

Amnesty International, noting that further conflict is possible, has called on the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan “to make clear and firm commitments to prioritize the protection of older people, and ensure their human rights, including rights to housing and health, are protected.”

Illustration: Shushan Gevorgyan