evidence: The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which also called itself the Republic of Artsakh, enjoyed de facto independence from Azerbaijan after a 1994 cease-fire agreement that ended roughly two years of open warfare, though its independence was never recognized by any UN member states. The territory’s population consisted mostly of ethnic Armenians, and given its geographic and diplomatic isolation, it was dependent on close political and economic ties with Armenia. In 2023, the local government announced its dissolution following a military operation led by Azerbaijani authorities that resulted in the mass departure of the ethnic Armenian population. The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which also called itself the Republic of Artsakh, enjoyed de facto independence from Azerbaijan after a 1994 cease-fire agreement that ended roughly two years of open warfare, though its independence was never recognized by any UN member states. The territory’s population consisted mostly of ethnic Armenians, and given its geographic and diplomatic isolation, it was dependent on close political and economic ties with Armenia. In 2023, the local government announced its dissolution following a military operation led by Azerbaijani authorities that resulted in the mass departure of the ethnic Armenian population. At year’s end, bilateral peace talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments were ongoing, and the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh remained largely depopulated. [...] The events of the past year in places such as Nagorno-Karabakh and the Gaza Strip provided stark evidence that populations without self-determination are at greater risk of extreme human rights abuses or atrocities.