Armenia demands to protect the rights of more than 100,000 Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, the few remaining there, as well as those held by Azerbaijan. Professor Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, one of those representing Armenia's lawsuit, stated this while speaking Thursday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) during its consideration of Armenia's case against Azerbaijan.
Sicilianos recalled that the definition of “ethnic cleansing” includes expulsion and killing, forcing people to move by force or threats, destruction of cultural heritage, as well as creating conditions aimed at worsening living conditions.
The entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh was forced to leave the region due to damage to infrastructure, the use of force for exile, and the lack of conditions for return. Living conditions have not been created for those who have remained; and they are old and sick people. Azerbaijan, on the contrary, is intensifying its actions, noted Sicilianos.
According to him, rights violations and racial discrimination against Karabakh Armenians are obvious, Azerbaijani president Aliyev announced that ethnic Armenians in Karabakh will not have special status or privileges, the Azerbaijani practice of ethnic cleansing is widespread, and Azerbaijan arrested the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh and announced its intention to arrest another 300 people.
How can people trust the Azerbaijani authorities in the absence of monitoring, when these authorities country have tortured and extrajudicially punished Armenians for years, Sicilianos asked. He added that Azerbaijan is taking active steps to make it impossible for Armenians to return, the international convention protects cultural heritage, but despite this, Azerbaijan destroyed the Karabakh capital Stepanakert cross and is destroying Armenian cemeteries and monasteries.
Rights to social protection and medical assistance were violated. Although international conventions prohibit selective treatment on national and racial grounds, Azerbaijan does the opposite, Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos said, adding that Azerbaijan should refrain also from punitive measures against arrested Nagorno-Karabakh officials.
