Azerbaijan Severs Internet Connection in Artsakh Following Genocide Talks by Authorities

Strategic Cable Severed Near Lachin Corridor, Hampering Internet Access and International Communications

Internet access in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) faced a major setback as Azerbaijan deliberately severed a critical fiber-optic cable near its unauthorized checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor. This calculated move has disrupted the Republic’s stable connection to the Internet, a senior Artsakh official revealed on Friday.

Artak Beglaryan, Advisor to the State Minister of Artsakh, issued a statement outlining the incident. According to Beglaryan, Azerbaijan executed the cable cut at precisely 17:55 on August 17, leading to an abrupt halt in Artsakh's online communication capabilities.

In response to this infrastructural attack, Artsakh specialists, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, attempted to approach the affected area to initiate repairs. However, their efforts were thwarted by Azeri authorities, who denied them access to the site.

Beglaryan emphasized ongoing negotiations between the peacekeepers and the Azerbaijani side to facilitate the entry of specialists for cable restoration. He further commented, "I don’t find it to be a coincidence that this new crime took place after the UN Security Council meeting and literally five minutes before the start of a press conference on the genocide in Artsakh."

This disruption had unintended consequences. It led to a delayed participation of Artsakh-based speakers, including Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan and displaced citizen Alvina Nersisyan, in a press conference focusing on the genocide in Artsakh. The interruption also affected Artsakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan and former ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo.

Beglaryan explained that despite the internet challenges imposed by Azerbaijan, the press conference still took place successfully, featuring 130 participants from 27 countries. Currently, only a limited volume of internet access remains available in Artsakh through unstable radio communication. Even this connection is subjected to continuous jamming attempts by Azerbaijani authorities.