Special Administration for Nagorno-Karabakh

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, Decree on Introducing a Special Form of Administration in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijani SSR. January 12, 1989

Amid escalating interethnic conflict and the collapse of local authority, the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium imposed “special administration” on Nagorno-Karabakh in January 1989. The decree kept the oblast formally within Azerbaijan but suspended its elected soviet, created a Moscow-subordinate committee and centralized control over security, media, and institutions.

In connection with the continuing tension in interethnic relations in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, in order to prevent a further deterioration of them and to stabilize the situation in the region, [and] in view of the proposals by Party and state organs of the Azerbaijani SSR and Armenian SSR and of the Soviet of Nationalities's commission, the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium, having considered this matter with the Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet Presidium, in accordance with Clause 14 of Article 119 of the USSR Constitution, decrees that:

1. A special form of administration is to be introduced temporarily in the NKAO while retaining Nagorno-Karabakh's status as an autonomous oblast in the Azerbaijani SSR.

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p style="margin-left: 40px">An NKAO Special Administration Committee is to be formed under the chairmanship of Comrade A.I. Volskiy.

The powers of the NKAO Soviet of People's Deputies, 20th convocation, and its ispolkom are to be suspended until a new Soviet is elected.

2. It is laid down that the NKAO Special Administration Committee is directly subordinate to the supreme organs of power and administration of the USSR and has the full powers of the autonomous oblast's Soviet and its ispolkom, and the chairman of the commission has the rights and duties of the oblispolkom chairman.

The aforementioned committee is to be entrusted with the leadership of local organs of state power and administration of the NKAO and the oblispolkom apparatus is to be transferred to it as a working organ.

3. It is laid down that as long as this decree is in effect enterprises, institutions, and organizations under Union and republican jurisdiction situated in the NKAO and their branches, and other structural subdivisions are subordinate to the committee in terms of a range of questions determined by the USSR Council of Ministers, taking into account the opinion of the Azerbaijani SSR Council of Ministers.

Organs of the press, radio, and television and other news media, publishing houses, printing enterprises, internal affairs organs, and institutions of culture, public education, public health, and other organizations in the non-production sphere, irrespective of their subordination or departmental affiliation, will perform their activities under the direct leadership of the committee or individuals authorized by it.

The activities of the prosecutors office and courts in the NKAO will take place in accordance with existing legislation and the procedure laid down by the USSR General Prosecutor, USSR Ministry of justice, and USSR Supreme Court.

4. The NKAO Special Administration Committee is to be given the right:

• to suspend the powers of the NKAO rayon, city, rural, and settlement Soviets of People's Deputies and their executive and administrative organs and set a date for and organize elections to the aforementioned local Soviets;
• to suspend activity of public organizations and unofficial associations which contravenes the USSR Constitution and USSR legislation and, if necessary, disband them. The registration and disbandment of the aforementioned organizations and associations which have republic or Union organs is to be coordinated with these organs;
• if necessary to go directly to the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium, USSR Council of Ministers, and USSR ministries, state committees, and departments with proposals on questions of state, economic, and sociocultural building.

5. The action of Clauses 2 and 3 and Paragraph 3 of Clause 5 of Article 6 and Article 7 of the USSR Law, "On the State Enterprise (Association)," is to be suspended on the territory of the NKAO.

6. The Azerbaijani SSR Supreme Soviet Presidium is to adopt the relevant decisions arising out of this decree.

7. This decree comes into effect 20 January 1989.

Source: *Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Daily Report (U.S. Dept. of Commerce; National Technical Information Service, 1989)