Azerbaijan files new lawsuit against Armenia with Int'l Court of Justice UPDATED

11:09

The Azerbaijani government submitted the main claim document to the International Court of Justice on January 23, 2023.

This is an important step forward in Azerbaijan's international judicial proceedings against Armenia under the Convention on the Abolition of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Caliber.Az reports citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press service.

"The main claim document submitted to the court is based on thousands of pages of evidence documenting Armenia's 30-year injustice against Azerbaijan. The document contains detailed information about Azerbaijanis, who were killed, displaced and injured as a result of ethnic and national cleansing committed by Armenia. The seizure and illegal occupation of Azerbaijan's internationally recognised territories by Armenia was accompanied by a deliberate and purposeful policy of ethnic cleansing. The purpose of these crimes, which lasted until 2020, was to create an Armenian settlement on the territory of our country by destroying, plundering and exploiting Azerbaijan's districts. Azerbaijan, after the liberation of its lands in 2020, carried out large-scale work to collect evidence on these territories. The scale of Armenia's destruction of hundreds of thousands of human lives, the destruction of families and communities, and the destruction of priceless cultural heritage and the environment is truly horrifying.

"Armenia's policy and actions on ethnic discrimination, its illegal occupation of our territories for almost 30 years, prevented our compatriots from returning home to Azerbaijan's Karabakh region. To date, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons are still unable to return their homes. During the occupation, as well as during the retreat in 2020, Armenia completely destroyed cities such as Fuzuli, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Gubadli, Zangilan and Kalbajar, pursuing a "scorched earth" policy here. After the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia in 1991, 95 per cent of the buildings located in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region were razed to the ground.

"The Armenian policy of discrimination also includes the destruction of civilian homes and settlements using explosives and mines. After the end of the 44-day Patriotic War, 282 Azerbaijanis were killed or seriously injured as a result of mine explosions.

"Azerbaijan, on the basis of the detailed evidence presented, demanded that the court grant a petition to hold Armenia accountable for a large-scale violation of the rights of Azerbaijanis. In particular, an appeal was sent to hold the Armenian government accountable for ethnic cleansing, deliberate deprivation of life and property, torture, destruction of cultural heritage, propaganda of hatred among the Armenian population towards Azerbaijanis and state assistance to armed groups.

"Azerbaijan's appeal also emphasizes the importance of Armenia fulfilling its obligations to disclose all information about missing Azerbaijanis, return all illegally seized property and lands to Azerbaijanis, stop hate propaganda, and bring human rights violations committed over the last 30 years to justice.

"Azerbaijan will continue to take all necessary measures to bring to international legal responsibility those who committed these crimes," the Foreign Ministry said.

11:00

The Azerbaijani government submitted the main claim document to the International Court of Justice on January 23, 2023.

This is an important step forward in Azerbaijan's international judicial proceedings against Armenia under the Convention on the Abolition of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.

The main claim document submitted to the court is based on thousands of pages of evidence documenting Armenia's 30-year injustice against Azerbaijan. The document contains detailed information about Azerbaijanis who were killed, displaced, or injured as a result of Armenia's ethnic and national cleansing.