Leader of Prosperous Armenian Party (PAP) Naira Zohrabyan, who is also a member of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on Wednesday raised the issue on recognizing Azerbaijan as a war criminal. She also called an Azerbaijani MP a liar.

At PACE plenary session, Naira Zohrabyan again voiced the issue of recognizing the atrocities committed by Azerbaijan during the April war as a military crime.  Zohrabyan presented the legal grounds on the basis of which the international community must recognize Azerbaijan as a war criminal.

Prior to delivering her speech, Zohrabyan responded to the address of the Azerbaijani MP Ganira Pashayeva, announcing that the Azerbaijani delegate is a liar and what was presented by her from the high tribune is the subsequent and constant Azerbaijani lie and fraud.  

In her speech, Zohrabyan specifically noted:

''The genocides, which we witnessed in Northern Iraq, the war crimes and the crimes against humanity committed by Daesh against ethnic Yazidis unfortunately continue nowadays as well. Thus, developing more flexible mechanisms to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) is indeed an important issue. Yes, I agree with the reporter that our Assembly must confirm its commitment to fight the impunity and support the ICC.

Dear colleagues,

Unfortunately during the April military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan not only soldiers, but also civilians and children were cruelly tortured, killed, beheaded and offended. Military equipment banned under international conventions was used.

The tortures which go beyond the belief of a reasonable person, and the beheading of corpses and living people are gross violations of the international humanitarian law, which imply precise liability. The happening is definitely a war crime which falls under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

It is clear that both the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and Armenia - as the guarantor of Artsakh's security - will do their best to reach the recognition of Azerbaijan as a war criminal. The NKR Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal case during the first days of April, thereby confirming that the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire agreements signed by the NKR, Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1994. During the first days of April war, Azerbaijan unleashed aggression against NKR using land forces, air forces, rocket launchers and military equipment and violating the territorial integrity of the NKR, which is a party to the agreement. Grossly violating the norms of international law, using means banned during war and violating norms of international humanitarian law, the Azerbaijani military forces attacked peaceful settlements deep in the rear, civilian population, schools and buildings, this resulting in the deaths of various persons, including children, protected under the international law.   

Of course, Azerbaijan hasn't yet ratified the Rome Statute, which provides that the UN Security Council can also apply to that court.  And the prosecutor of the ICC is authorized to launch a criminal case upon his own initiative.

Azerbaijan must be recognized as a war criminal; many of you are aware of the atrocities of the Azerbaijani gangsters. Therefore, don't be silent. Dear reporter, please don't be silent either, when announcing that it is necessary to fiercely struggle against impunity and war crimes.''