- April 18, 2024
Washington, D.C. – For the first time since Armenia’s ratification of the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been requested to open a preliminary examination into the ongoing genocide being perpetrated by Azerbaijan’s armed forces against ethnic Armenians in Armenian territory under the unlawful occupation of Azerbaijan since May 12, 2021. The request to the ICC, submitted by the Center for Truth & Justice (CFTJ), includes testimonial evidence gathered and recorded by CFTJ that corroborates the planning, instigation, and execution of genocide by President Ilham Aliyev and his government, including Azerbaijan’s Parliament.
See the full CFTJ Petition to the ICC: CFTJ ICC Petition
The petition outlines a detailed array of atrocities carried out by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Aliyev including forcible displacement of at least 7000 civilians, murder of civilians, enforced disappearance of at least 2000 civilians and prisoners of war (PoWs), arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and at least 350 documented cases of torture and extrajudicial executions of ethnic Armenian PoWs.
“There must be accountability and justice for Azerbaijan’s pattern of hate, war crimes, occupation and genocide against ethnic Armenians,” said Timothy Jemal, President, Global ARM. “The only way to move forward with lasting peace in the South Caucasus is to fully address and hold Azerbaijan accountable for genocide and relentless aggression against ethnic Armenians.”
CFTJ and Global ARM have been close partners since both organizations formed around the same time in 2021. The CFTJ filing exposes a deliberate strategy by Azerbaijan to eradicate ethnic Armenians, evident in attacks on sovereign Armenian territory and in actions against Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh). This is the first instance of any entity requesting that the ICC conduct a preliminary investigation for the genocide of Armenians, coming just days before the April 24 annual commemoration of the World War I-era genocide in which the Ottoman Turkish regime killed 1.5 million Armenians.
The CFTJ petition details that Aliyev himself has unabashedly boasted and glorified his genocidal intent against ethnic Armenians Beyond Aliyev, the filing personally targets Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov and Chief of General Staff Karim Valiyev for their role in the state policy of genocide – including forcibly removing Armenians from occupied territories, systematically killing civilians and prisoners of war, and engaging in hate speech that dehumanizes Armenians.
Furthermore, since May 2021, Azerbaijan’s military has unlawfully annexed approximately 200 square kilometers of Armenian sovereign territory. The dossier of evidence compiled by CFTJ contains more than 530 testimonies from victims’ representatives and witnesses detailing atrocities, war crimes, and genocide.
In one excerpt from the CFTJ petition, Aliyev makes clear his intentions against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia:
In 2023, Aliyev stated:
“They [ethnic Armenians] should not forget where the flag of Azerbaijan flies today. The Azerbaijani flag flew in Karabakh today. The Azerbaijani flag flies in the Zangezur mountains [Armenian territory). Let them not forget that. Can they come close to those flags? Can that human-like creature [ethnic Armenians] and his likes approach those flags? They are afraid even to look at those flags from afar. (…) But they should think carefully. One day they may wake up to see the Azerbaijan flag above their heads.”
Present at the Hague is Lala Abgaryan, whose sister Gayane was killed in 2022 by Azerbaijani soldiers, suffering extensive abuse and mutilations that were then recorded and glorified online. She took in the orphaned children and gave extensive testimony.
Global ARM advocates for stronger U.S., EU and global ties with Armenia to reduce dependence on Russia while promoting its progress in democratic governance, economic diversification and integrated security frameworks. Global ARM has long called for sanctions against President Aliyev and his government to hold them accountable for their violent actions and blatant violations of international law. These are expected to gain widespread support from both the U.S. and EU.