Azerbaijan forces opened fire on workers of the Artsakh Water and Sewage Service who were repairing a damaged water pipe near the road leading to Shushi on Monday, killing one civilian and injuring three others, Artsakh’s National Security Service reported.
The incident took place at around 3 p.m. local time. The victims were transported to the Stepanakert Hospital, where one of them, a 48-year-old truck driver, was pronounced dead and the other three were being treated.
Angelina Isakhanyan, a spokesperson for Artsakh’s Health Ministry, told Artsakh Public Radio that one of the wounded workers were taken into surgery, adding that the injuries sustained were not life threatening. She said they had sustained gun shot wounds to their arm, neck, and chest.
The shooting forced the closure of the nearby Stepanakert-Shushi-Berdzor road, which later was opened to through traffic on both sides.
Artsakh’s law enforcement bodies, together with the Russian peacekeeping forces, are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack, pointing out that this was the second incident Azerbaijani attack in a month that has resulted in civilian casualties.
“We strongly condemn the gross violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces, which was established by the Statement of November 9, 2020. It worth noting that the incident took place on the eve of the first anniversary of the signing of the Trilateral Statement and on the day of the visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Shushi, where another statement full of Armenophobic rhetoric and threats of use of force was delivered,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The consistent Armenophobic rhetoric of Azerbaijan’s top leader, the repeated incidents of violation of the ceasefire clearly demonstrate the hollow nature of the statements made by official Baku on the normalization of relations between Armenia and the Armenian people,” the ministry added.
“We are convinced that the proper investigation of such crimes and the bringing of those responsible to justice can prevent further attacks on the civilian population,” the ministry said.