Armenia files a lawsuit against Azerbaijan with ICJ

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Sep 2023

Yerevan files a lawsuit against Baku for racial discrimination due to the ongoing actions perpetrated against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

View of the Peace Palace which houses the International Court of Justice, September 19, 2023 (AP)

The International Court of Justice announced on Friday that Armenia filed a lawsuit against Azerbaijan for racial discrimination against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The Republic of Armenia, referring to Article 41 of the Statute and Article 73 of the Rules of Court, submitted a request to the Court yesterday for the indication of provisional measures, 'to preserve and protect rights enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (‘CERD’)'," the court said.

"Armenia requests the Court to indicate the following provisional measures, and to reaffirm Azerbaijan’s obligations under the Orders it has rendered in this case, in particular those of 7 December 2021 and 22 February 2023," the statement added.

Approximately 85,000 Nagorno-Karabakh residents have moved to Armenia since September 24, according to information provided by Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the spokesperson for the Armenian cabinet.

This significant exodus of Nagorno-Karabakh's predominantly Armenian population began the preceding week after Azerbaijan declared the successful conclusion of its so-called "anti-terrorist" operation initiated against the breakaway region on September 19.

Following this declaration, Nagorno-Karabakh's authorities, with the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, agreed to disarm and relinquish all their weaponry to Baku the following day.

Armenia explicitly stated that it was not involved in these negotiations. Azerbaijan's government, on the other hand, committed to taking measures to support the "integration" of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who choose to stay in the region.

The Armenian government announced on Tuesday that 28,120 people have been forcibly displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as a result of the military campaign launched by Azerbaijan.

In a press release, the government noted that "As of September 26, 8:00 pm [local time, 18:00 GMT], 28,120 forcibly displaced persons entered Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. Of these, registration information for 20,800 have been summarized, and the need assessment of 7 320 is still in process."

According to the statement, the government in Yerevan has already housed about 3,253 people as it has taken on the responsibility to provide accommodation for those with no place to go.