The Policy of Ethnic Cleansing Against the Azerbaijani Population in the Armenian SSR: In Academic Research and Memoirs

After the 44-day Patriotic War that took place in 2020, and the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories, one of the main issues under discussion is the restoration of the rights of the Azerbaijani population who once lived in the historical territories of Western Azerbaijan. The fact is that throughout the 20th century, a targeted and systematic policy of ethnic cleansing was carried out against Azerbaijanis in the territory now called Armenia, and this process reached its culmination during the Soviet era - in 1948-1953. In 1988-1991, the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis from Armenia was completed. Currently, the discussions on the restoration of their rights make the study of the history of ethnic cleansing relevant. The article examines the process of the expropriation of property, in addition to the fact that Azerbaijanis who lived in the territory of the Armenian SSR were subjected to discrimination and great torture with the help of the Soviet authorities, were expelled from their historical lands. The information reflected in historical sources and eyewitness accounts were compared with eyewitness accounts, which also made it possible to reveal the socio-psychological aspects of the ethnic cleansing process. The eyewitness testimonies reflected in the study were brought into scientific circulation for the first time.