Ocampo’s legal fallacies and their real-world costs The price of hypocrisy

Luis Moreno Ocampo, the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has once again made his presence known, which was to be expected. 

On January 17, criminal proceedings began in Baku against representatives of the former Armenian separatist regime in Karabakh, including the so-called "state minister" of the separatists, Ruben Vardanyan, who is accused of war crimes against Azerbaijan and its people. Against this backdrop, Ocampo took to his X (formerly Twitter) microblog to make a post. To say that this was a session of self-exposure would be an understatement. In his capacity as a lawyer, Ocampo managed to display a remarkable number of legal inaccuracies. For example, he asserts that "The charges, as hollow as they are grotesque, serve as a cover-up of the crimes committed by the regime in Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh including the prisoners."

It’s almost uncomfortable to remind Ocampo that there was never such a thing as "Nagorno-Karabakh" to begin with. No country in the world ever recognized this self-proclaimed entity. The international community has always officially recognised Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, even during the period when 20% of the country’s territory was under Armenian occupation. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia were represented in the United Nations within their internationally recognised borders. Furthermore, four well-known UN Security Council resolutions called for the immediate withdrawal of illegal Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Additionally, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly stated his recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

But even that is not the most shocking aspect of Ocampo’s behaviour. Just recently, he personally acknowledged that Armenia had occupied Azerbaijani territories. Here's how it happened: In response to a question from an Armenian journalist about the legitimacy of the so-called “Republic of Artsakh,” Ocampo stated, “There were areas that were under Armenia that were Azeri territory, and that is right. So, Armenia was occupying territory that belonged to Azerbaijan. That is right.” As we can see, Ocampo is not only contradicting an obvious truth, but also the position of the Armenian leadership and even his own previous statements! It is abundantly clear that there is no such thing as “Nagorno-Karabakh”; there were territories temporarily occupied by Armenia, which were liberated by Azerbaijan per international law. Therefore, the individuals who headed the occupying regime are representatives of the Karabakh junta, and the trial will determine the extent of their guilt for the crimes attributed to them.

As for the "people of Nagorno-Karabakh," there is nothing more to say. This term simply doesn’t exist. What exists are Armenians who, as Ocampo himself has acknowledged, lived on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for 30 years. They voluntarily relocated to Armenia, of which they were citizens. In fact, many of them eventually left Armenia and moved to other countries. This is the reality that Ocampo desperately tries to ignore. He also tries to ignore the fact that the Karabakh separatists received not only political and financial, but also military support from Armenia and other countries.

Why does Ocampo choose to make false and absurd accusations against Azerbaijan? As outlined in the recent report by the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani parliament) Committee on Countering Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats, one of the key factors behind the intensification of the negative campaign against COP29 in Baku is the involvement of wealthy businessmen who have hired PR firms experienced in shaping negative public perceptions. The investigation revealed that individuals such as David Vardanyan (son of Ruben Vardanyan) and Nubar Afeyan are orchestrating hybrid attacks against Azerbaijan, leveraging their financial resources and personal connections. Their strategy involves enlisting prominent PR firms, Hollywood stars, wealthy American businessmen, influential families, and government officials for specific projects. By exploiting people’s trust, they carry out their malicious activities under the guise of charity through the "Aurora" Foundation and the award they established under the same name. A clear example of this is the inclusion of Chelsea Clinton (daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton) on the award's selection committee. The Milli Majlis report highlights that the Vardanyan family engaged the PR company Edelman, which has been embroiled in several scandals, and the law firm Perseus Strategies. Edelman launched a large-scale social media campaign targeting Azerbaijan.

As we can see, the "Vardanyan case" has long since evolved into a profitable venture for those eager to exploit it. The only thing left to determine is how much the services of Luis Moreno Ocampo cost, as well as the fees of the many European and American gentlemen and ladies advocating for "freedom" for those accused of committing such a wide array of crimes. I am confident that an answer to this question will eventually emerge. Everything has its time.