Law enforcement in the Republic of Artsakh

Law enforcement in the Republic of Artsakh is inconsistently enforced, as the region is a de facto independent republic officially part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and is governed by the unrecognized National Assembly. According to a report prepared by British parliamentarian and rapporteur David Atkinson, presented to Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), "the borders of Azerbaijan were internationally recognised at the time of the country being recognised as independent state in 1991," and "the territory of Azerbaijan included the Nagorno-Karabakh region."[1] Therefore, law enforcement in Nagorno-Karabakh would in theory be the responsibility of the Azerbaijan police.

In the years following the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Republic of Artsakh created its own police force. Although not much is known about it, the newly created force took over all law enforcement responsibilities from the military and follows an organization similar to that of the Police of the Republic of Armenia. Artsakh even created its own National Security Service.