“Wake Up World! Prevent the Genocide in Artsakh! Stop the Blockade!”

The Union of Journalists of Armenia and the media in Armenia are launching the “Wake Up World! Prevent the Genocide in Artsakh! Stop the Blockade!” campaign. Through this campaign, we are raising our voices in defense of our compatriots in Artsakh. We call on all Armenian media outlets, media persons, international and Armenia-based media organizations, freelance journalists and bloggers to join the campaign by disseminating this statement. We also call on them to post the following banners on the web pages of the respective media outlets and on social networks and keep them posted for as long as it takes for the ROAD OF LIFE linking Artsakh to Armenia to be opened:

«The Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh, which has been going on for more than six months and is now accompanied by total isolation, has led to a dire humanitarian crisis.

The 120,000 people of Artsakh, including 30,000 children, are living without food, baby food, medicine, petrol and diesel and natural gas supply. They also face power outages and are at risk of starving to death.

Every day, 120,000 citizens of Artsakh live under the blatant threat of being physically annihilated, losing their homeland, ethnic cleansing and being deprived of their homes and cradle.

Human destinies are under threat as the crisis aggravates the situation day after day; people are living in conditions that pose a real danger to their lives since they are under armed siege of the Azerbaijanis on a daily basis, with no opportunity to receive medical aid.

There are no practical implications of the declaratory calls of the international community for the unblocking of Artsakh, and Azerbaijan continues to lead its deliberate, antihuman and felonious policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh without inhibition.

From this point forward, the media outlets of Armenia - on their respective websites and on the front pages of their respective newspapers - will be issuing an alert addressed to international organizations, as well as to the political, academic, cultural and religious circles of different countries and to the world in an attempt to bring this crisis to the attention of all those who place humans and human lives above any geopolitical interest or economic interest.

Through this initiative, we mass media representatives are making our move for the urgent action to save human lives. Tomorrow may be too late».