Caucasus

The International Criminal Court building in The Hague. © Jbdodane/Flickr

Armenia Joins ICC, Angers Moscow

The move has widened the rift with the Kremlin, but Yerevan stated that its motivation was its national security vis-à-vis Azerbaijan.

13 Nov 23

Karine (not her real name) was 15 when she realised that the male body she was born into was not hers. She moved from the rural community she grew up in to the capital Yerevan to be free to be herself. Unlinke many people in her community she was able to find a stable job as a hairdresser and manicurist. © Anahit Zakaryan

Life in the Shadows for Armenia’s Transgender Community

Recent murder highlights widespread discrimination and violence against LGBTI people.

13 Nov 23

Madlena Ghahiryan with two of her nine grandchildren. “The journey from our homeland was harrowing. We had no food, not even bread… We found wood along the way, lit a fire and managed to roast some potatoes.” © Siranush Sargsyan

Nagorny Karabakh’s Armenians Struggle to Cope with Displacement

Tens of thousands of refugees are sheltered in centres across Armenia and face economic and psychological hurdles.

8 Nov 23

Palestinians leave al-Karama neighbourhood in Gaza City to safer areas on October 11, 2023, as raging battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continued for the fifth consecutive day. The death toll from five days of ferocious fighting between Hamas and Israel rose sharply overnight as Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza after recovering the dead from the last communities near the border where Palestinian militants had been holed up. © Mahmud Hamd/AFP via Getty Images

Gaza War Resonates in the South Caucasus

The region’s geopolitical shift following the Nagorny Karabakh conflict may continue amid the crisis in the Middle East.

31 Oct 23

The photo of a fallen 19-year-old soldier from Fuzuli, in south-western Azerbaijan, hangs on the walls outside a former student dormitory, which has housed dozens of internally displaced persons from Nagorny Karabakh since the 1990s. © Ulkar Natiqqizi

Displaced Azerbaijanis Eye Return to Nagorny Karabakh

Following the mass exodus of Armenians, Baku plans to resettle some 40,000 people in the region over the next three years.

17 Oct 23

In Masis, displaced Armenians from Nagorny Karabakh were accommodated in disused kindergarten. The town of 20,000 people in western Armenia has received nearly 11,000 refugees. © Arshaluis Mghdesyan

Nagorny Karabakh: “My Children Don’t Know What Peace Is”

Some 100,000 civilians have fled the disputed region, facing an uncertain future and an unclear legal status.

4 Oct 23

A family walks through the cars parked waiting to visit the tents of the Armenian Red Cross on September 26, 2023 in Kornidzor, Armenia. About 100,000 Armenians have fled the Nagorny Karabakh region, out of a population of 120,000, since Azerbaijan launched a military operation and regained control of the breakaway region. © Astrig Agopian/Getty Images

Nagorny Karabakh: The Consequences of International Inaction

The absence of progress in outside mediation has been crucial in spurring Azerbaijan’s military option.

3 Oct 23

Children in central Stepanakert as families are packing their belongings and set to leave their homes. As people flee, there are large traffic tailbacks on the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting the enclave to Armenia. © Siranush Sargsyan

Nagorny Karabakh’s Uncertain Future

Despite Baku’s messages of reassurance, many locals fear campaign of ethnic cleansing.

26 Sep 23

Protesters carry the Nagorny Karabakh flag in central Yerevan after the region's armed forces were defeated by Azerbaijan's military operation of September 19. Thousands called on Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over the debacle but there seems to be no real alternatives to his government. © Arshaluis Mgdesyan

Nagorny Karabakh Conflict Sparks Political Crisis in Armenia

Rallies called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign, but the opposition provides no real alternative.

22 Sep 23

People on makeshift beds in a shelter in Stepanakert, Karabakh’s regional centre. “This is one of the city’s main shelters, it is considered to a safe place but safety is a relative concept… Many children from various areas of the city came here,” said IWPR contributor Siranush Sargsyan. © Siranush Sargsyan

“Yesterday We Struggled to Find Bread, Today We Are Struggling to Live”

Hundreds of people have been killed or injured and thousands displaced following Azerbaijan's military action.

21 Sep 23

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