Possible war crimes committed in Nagorno-Karabakh, U.N. rights boss says

The U.N. human rights chief said on Monday artillery strikes in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh could amount to war crimes and she urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to halt attacks on civilian areas, schools and hospitals, Reuters reports.

Despite a dealt reached in Geneva last Friday by Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from deliberately targeting civilians, artillery salvoes against populated areas were reported over the weekend, Michelle Bachelet said, citing strikes on the central market in Stepanakert and the city of Tartar.

“While many faked images have been circulating on social media, in-depth investigations by media organisations into videos that appeared to show Azerbaijani troops summarily executing two captured Armenians in military uniforms uncovered compelling and deeply disturbing information,” Bachelet said in a statement said, noting it could also be a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.