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At the Council session in Geneva on July 3, UN main representative Abi McDougal delivered the statement for CSI during an Interactive Dialogue with Dr. Ashwini K.P., the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.
Two months after the expulsion, in November 2023, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered the Republic of Azerbaijan to “ensure that persons who have left Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 and who wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh are able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner.” The ICJ required Azerbaijan to fulfill this order in accordance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, McDougal reminded the Council.
In addition, the ICJ ordered Azerbaijan to “protect and preserve registration, identity and private property documents and records” of the Armenians who fled Nagorno Karabakh.
“Not only has the government of Azerbaijan failed to uphold this order, it is actively destroying Armenian-owned homes, property, and entire villages, making it impossible in many cases for this order to be carried out,” said McDougal.
As in March, CSI called on the Human Rights Council to “appoint a special rapporteur for Nagorno Karabakh, and to take all necessary steps to ensure that the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh can return home.”
Nagorno Karabakh’s population was expelled in an Azerbaijani military operation, which came after Azerbaijan’s nine-month blockade had left the self-governing region without access to food or medical treatment.
Though the drive from the capital of Nagorno Karabakh to the border of Armenia would typically take about two hours, “it took most people two days, some people three days, to make that drive because the road was completely clogged with cars,” CSI director for public advocacy Joel Veldkamp commented in a CSI podcast interview. “The Armenian government estimates that 64 people died just on that road from exposure, from the thirst, from trauma.”
The Swiss parliament has mandated the Swiss government to host peace talks between the government of Azerbaijan and the leaders of Nagorno Karabakh, though these initiatives have met with some political resistance. Last month, a group of Swiss parliamentarians announced the formation of the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh, a committee which aims to gather international support for the peace forum.
About CSI
Christian Solidarity International is an international human rights group campaigning for religious liberty and human dignity.
Contact: Joel Veldkamp | [email protected]
Joel Veldkamp
Christian Solidarity International
+41 76 258 15 74
email us here
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