Last December, a group of self-proclaimed Azerbaijani environmental activists, many with known ties to the Azerbaijani government, began blocking the Lachin corridor, the only overland route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. In April, Azerbaijani border guards dramatically escalated the situation, illegally setting up a checkpoint on the corridor.
Despite residents’ best efforts to maintain a semblance of normal life, the blockade, now in its sixth month, has severly disrupted all aspects of life. And while there have been many infringements on basic human rights during this time, the turn has come for new high school graduates to feel the blow. According to Artsakh Assessment and Testing Center data, 572 recent graduates have submitted an application to continue their studies, of which around 200 have applied to universities in Armenia. Many of these students, however, are unable to take their mandatory entrance exams, as the standard practice would require these students to physically take the exam in Armenia. What are the possible options for students seeking to take these entrance exams?
