Night had long since fallen when the bus arrived in Goris, the first Armenian town after crossing the border from Nagorno-Karabakh. Twenty or so refugees emerged silently, their faces tense. A few hours earlier, on Wednesday, September 27, they had been in Stepanakert, the capital of the separatist enclave, where the exodus was continuing after Azerbaijan's lightning military offensive and the surrender of the self-proclaimed authorities on September 20. The arrival of these refugees in Armenia marked the end of long months of deprivation, terror and humiliation inflicted by Azerbaijan behind closed doors.

Veronika Safarian, 37, was trying to warm up with a coffee on the sidewalk. "During the journey, people were crying," said the historian, who had left the day before. She recounted the fear that gripped her when she saw the heights of Stepanakert set ablaze. "They surrounded the town and lit fires all around. It was a way of adding pressure and saying: 'We're here and we are ready to go in.' It was all the more frightening because nobody had any weapons left to defend themselves."

The separatist fighters surrendered their weapons after the ceasefire agreement on September 20. The Azerbaijani authorities agreed to let those who complied leave. But, on Wednesday, they arrested billionaire businessman Ruben Vardanyan, the former head of the separatist government from November 2022 to February. The arrest emphasized Azerbaijan's intention to rapidly and firmly reinforce its control over the region.

'Azerbaijan is capable of anything'

All the men underwent intense scrutiny before they were allowed to leave Nagorno-Karabakh. The vast majority of them fought against Azerbaijani troops in previous wars (1988-1994, 2016, 2020) for control of this disputed region, internationally recognized as belonging to Azerbaijan, but mainly populated by Armenians.

Baku announced that it would hunt down "those who have committed war crimes." Before they crossed the border into Armenia, Safarian explained, "The soldiers ordered the men to get off the bus and cross the bridge [on the humanitarian corridor] on foot. Then they approached the women and asked us if we were hiding any of them." All the men leaving the disputed region were filmed on camera at the last checkpoint. Armenians feared that Baku would fabricate false accusations and that veterans would be tortured or even executed. "Azerbaijan is capable of anything," worried the Armenian government.

Aware of the danger, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities took the initiative as soon as the end of the offensive that left 213 Armenians and 192 Azerbaijanis dead. According to testimonies gathered from refugees by Le Monde, the high command of the separatist forces ordered all combatants to burn their military uniforms and any documents likely to prove they were soldiers.

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