Azerbaijan ombudsman praises International Court of Justice's decision

Azerbaijani Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudswoman) Sabina Aliyeva has expressed approval of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decision.

She noted that the ICJ made a decision to examine Azerbaijan's legal complaint against Armenia, including issues related to the landmine threat, despite objections from the Armenian side, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

“As a result of Armenia's longstanding occupation policy and ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijan, the fundamental rights and freedoms of more than one million Azerbaijanis were violated, as enshrined in international legal instruments. Armenia's actions grossly contravened norms and principles of international law and international humanitarian law, including the commission of war crimes,” she said.

Aliyeva stressed that the legal actions being taken at the international level to restore the rights and freedoms of Azerbaijanis, which had been systematically violated for decades, are crucial for ensuring justice.

She highlighted that the court’s rejection of Armenia's attempts to exclude from its jurisdiction Azerbaijan's justified claims regarding the placement of mines and booby traps on Azerbaijani territory during and after the occupation was a significant step toward restoring justice. Armenia’s mining activities during its occupation of Azerbaijani territories have had devastating consequences. 

Over 1.5 million landmines were planted, making Azerbaijan one of the most mine-contaminated countries globally. This policy of "mine terrorism" has caused extensive harm to Azerbaijani civilians. Since the end of the second Karabakh war, 382 Azerbaijanis have fallen victim to landmines, with 70 killed and 312 seriously injured. In total, over 3,400 people have been affected by mines, including nearly 600 deaths, with 359 of them children and 38 women.

By Naila Huseynova