Baku Initiative Group accuses Armenia of historical discrimination against Azerbaijanis

The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has issued a statement saying that Azerbaijanis who historically lived in Armenia were subjected to systematic discrimination and a “colonial-style policy” aimed at ethnic homogenisation.

According to the statement, the actions taken against Azerbaijanis were “not simply acts of ethnic discrimination, but elements of a deliberate and systematic colonial policy driven by racial bias and intended to enforce mono-ethnicization,” Azertag reports.

“The only ‘crime’ of Azerbaijanis was their national identity. They endured massacres in 1905–1906, in 1918, and in the later decades of the 20th century, along with ethnic cleansing and blatant violations of their political, economic, social, and cultural rights.

Such violations reflected patterns historically associated with atrocities committed by colonial powers against subjugated peoples.

The Armenian SSR’s deliberate, colonial-style policies systematically forced Azerbaijanis out of their historical lands, erased their cultural and religious heritage, and ultimately paved the way for Armenia’s transformation into a monoethnic state.

Between 1948 and 1953, more than 150,000 Azerbaijanis were forcibly deported from their homes. These actions inflicted deep human tragedies, tearing apart thousands of families and exposing them to severe resettlement conditions that dealt a heavy blow to their lives, health, and social stability.

At the same time, the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis was deliberately wiped out: Azerbaijani toponyms were changed, and settlements, cemeteries, as well as religious and cultural monuments were destroyed or appropriated. This policy went beyond physical expulsion, targeting the eradication of historical memory and cultural identity.

From late 1987 onward, Armenian authorities reignited territorial claims against Azerbaijan, leading to the forcible expulsion of more than 250,000 Azerbaijanis still living in Armenia. Armed assaults on Azerbaijani villages forced people to abandon their homes, effectively completing a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis in Armenia.

This process was not directed solely against Azerbaijanis. Armenia’s policy of establishing a monoethnic state also affected other ethnic and religious minorities, resulting in a marked decline in their populations, which reflects the sustained and intentional nature of this approach. Armenia went even further by occupying 20% of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory.

At a time when the peace agenda between Armenia and Azerbaijan is progressing, the persistence of hate rhetoric, revanchist sentiments, and discriminatory attitudes toward Azerbaijanis and Turks within Armenian society remains a cause for concern. Durable peace will depend on the recognition of historical grievances, respect for human rights, the abandonment of discriminatory policies, and the restoration of the rights of forcibly displaced individuals.

The Baku Initiative Group calls upon the international community, human rights institutions, relevant United Nations mechanisms, and other international organizations to objectively assess the colonial-style, ethnically discriminatory, and the policy of intolerance pursued by the Armenian state against Azerbaijanis,” the statement added.