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On November 12, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued Judgments on the preliminary objections in the parallel cases of Armenia v. Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan v. Armenia, under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
In Armenia v. Azerbaijan, the ICJ dismissed all of Azerbaijan’s objections, including its claims that Armenia failed to meet the negotiation precondition required by CERD Article 22, and challenges to jurisdiction over allegations of ethnic Armenian mistreatment. The Court’s rejections were near-unanimous, paving the way for the merits phase.
In Azerbaijan v. Armenia, the ICJ narrowed Azerbaijan’s claims, ruling out jurisdiction over events before CERD’s 1996 enforcement date and dismissing claims of environmental harm. While Armenia’s objection on Azerbaijan’s landmine-related claims was deemed without object, these issues may be reviewed during the merits stage.
Earlier, the ICJ had also granted Armenia’s requests for provisional measures against Azerbaijan in its previous orders.
Exclusive: UK Lobbyists Accused of ‘Greenwashing’ Oil-Rich Azerbaijan Before Baku COP Summit
Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime has been accused of human rights abuses, including jailing climate activists on ‘bogus’ charges. A lobbying firm with close links to a former Cabinet minister and the fossil fuels industry is being paid $4.7m to help oil-rich Azerbaijan enhance its image ahead of the crucial UN COP climate summit.
Senators Wicker and Cornyn Lead Bicameral Letter to Blinken Urging Azerbaijan Sign a Peace Agreement with Armenia
Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and John Cornyn (R-TX) lead a bicameral letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing concerns about U.S. participation in COP29 and seeking assurances that Azerbaijan is genuinely pursuing peace with Armenia.
In the letter, the Senators and House members said “U.S. participation at COP29 presents a timely opportunity to advance the historic goal of a lasting and durable peace in the South Caucasus, and we urge you to prioritize this goal when weighing.” The letter warns of Aliyev’s cosy relationship with Vladimir Putin and requests answers on “how will U.S. participation in COP29 change if Azerbaijan does not take meaningful steps to conclude a peace agreement with Armenia before the conference begins?”
Azerbaijan’s Greenwashing of Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno- Karabakh and Genocidal Policy
HRW: EU Should Raise Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan during COP29
“European Union leaders attending COP29, the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, should raise directly with the Azerbaijani authorities the cases of those imprisoned on politically motivated grounds and aim to secure their release, 17 international human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement today,” reads the Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement.
Freedom House: Azerbaijani Regime Ethnically Cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh According to International Fact-Finding Mission
- The Azerbaijani state’s actions constitute ethnic cleansing using forced displacement as a means.
- The September 2023 displacement of 100,000 ethnic Armenians was the culmination of an intensive, years-long campaign.
- Ethnic Armenian residents suffered multiple violations to their rights and freedoms.
- Violations in Nagorno-Karabakh remain ongoing in the form of erasure of Armenian cultural and historical presence.
Politico: France Boycotts COP29 after Azerbaijan’s ‘colonies’ attack
France’s top climate official is skipping the COP29 climate negotiations in Azerbaijan after the host country’s president accused France of “brutally” suppressing climate change concerns in its overseas territories.
Landmark Ruling by German Court: Nagorno- Karabakh Armenians Deemed Stateless and Persecuted in Azerbaijan
The Administrative Court of Kassel in Germany has delivered a landmark judgment on the legal status of the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh, a significant decision. The court ruling established two critical findings with considerable implications for the ongoing international case before the ICJ under CERD between Armenia and Azerbaijan:
- The residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are considered stateless.
- Armenians face persecution in Azerbaijan.
COP29 – Italian Parliamentarians Call for Release of Armenian Captives Held in Azerbaijan
On the eve of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29 to be held in Baku, 39 Italian parliamentarians have signed a statement urging Azerbaijan to immediately release Armenian prisoners of war.
Lemkin Institute: Demand for Accountability – Azerbaijan’s Treatment of Armenian POWs and Hostages Blocks Peace
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention calls on the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its despicable treatment of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, asserting that the continued detention of Armenians will obstruct the path to peace in the region.
WCC, World Evangelical Alliance, and Global Partners Call for Immediate Release of Armenian Prisoners
COP29 is Being Used as a Cover for Ethnic Cleansing
The World Evangelical Alliance, in collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC), Christian Solidarity International, and a coalition of global organizations, has issued a joint statement urging international attention on Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh as COP29 begins in Baku.
“We call on the government of Azerbaijan to make good on its vision of a “COP of Peace” by unconditionally and immediately releasing all of the Armenian hostages and Azerbaijani political prisoners it is currently holding,” the statement reads.
HART: We Must Speak Out Against Such Blatant Greenwashing
“This year’s UN climate summit should be about genuine efforts to save our planet. It is beyond reason that it should be hosted in Baku, where officials have an appalling human rights record, and whose wealth depends on oil and gas. We remember with horror Baku’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh and the continuing illegal detention of Armenian hostages. There can be no impunity for these most serious international crimes,” the Humanitarian Aid Trust Fund (HART) statement reads.
How Azerbaijan is Erasing Traces of the Ancient Armenian Presence in Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijani Textbooks Create Hatred Toward Armenians in Young Students
Examples from Azerbaijani textbooks demonstrate the seriousness of this situation. In these textbooks, Armenians are referred to derogatorily, history is rewritten and Azerbaijani children are taught that Armenians are enemies who committed genocide against them and stole their land.
Photo of the Week
Protesters stand in front of a massive banner labelled “Genocide” at the Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada, protest against COP29 greenwashing on Nov. 10.
Photo Courtesy of Zosia.
The protesters stood in front of a massive banner labelled “Genocide,” chanting “No blood! No oil! Free Artsakh soil!” in Montreal, Canada.
Photo Courtesy of Zosia.
Security
Behind Baku’s ‘Cop of Peace’ Facade, a Conflict is Simmering
Baku wants its climate conference to be seen as a peace push in the South Caucasus and beyond. Observers say don’t be duped – it’s a power play.
Foreign Ministry Confirms Armenian Ambassador Received Death Threats from Azerbaijani Counterpart in Brussels
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan has confirmed the POLITICO report that the Armenian Ambassador to Belgium Tigran Balayan received death threats from the Azerbaijani Ambassador Vaqif Sadiqov during a reception in the Turkish embassy.
Armenian Deputy FM: Armenia-U.S. Cooperation to Continue Successful Course During New Administration
Opinion
A ‘Cop of Peace’? How Can Authoritarian, Human Rights-Trashing Azerbaijan Possibly Host That?
By Greta Thunberg
The ‘theme’ chosen for Cop29 must be some kind of dark joke. This summit, like those before it, is a mere act of greenwashing.
Is the UK Turning a Blind Eye to Genocide Against Armenian Christians for Commercial Gain?
By Luis Moreno Ocampo
A strong case can be made that the Baku regime’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabkh is an international crime.
When Copyright Transforms the Right to Remember
By Yelena Ambartsumian
Images of “We Are Our Mountains,” an Armenian monument in occupied Artsakh, have disappeared from Wikimedia Commons in the months since Azerbaijan’s invasion.
Jordan Drops ‘My Sweet Land’ As Its Oscar Entry For Best International Feature, “Due To Diplomatic Pressures” from Azerbaijan
By Melanie Goodfellow, Matthew Carey
Jordan has withdrawn Sareen Hairabedian’s documentary My Sweet Land as its official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, reportedly after coming under pressure from Azerbaijan, Deadline has learned.
Policy of Intimidation: How Azerbaijan Tricked and Treated Ahead of COP29
By Rasmus Canbäck
Azerbaijan wants to host a COP29 where participants are restricted to discussing only one topic: climate issues. Attendees of the conference are expected to limit their statements to the event area and maintain a “civilized” demeanor that doesn’t cause disruption. This approach effectively creates a transnational space, detached from its actual location.
Revisiting Turkey’s Role in the 2020 Nagorno- Karabakh War
By Hovhannes Nazaretyan
U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo stated in mid- October that Turkey has begun to “reinforce” Azerbaijan and has “provided resources” to Baku. Trump’s National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien mentioned Turkish “technical assistance and advisory support” to Azerbaijan in a speech on October 30. In a campaign statement, former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump’s opponent in the presidential race, said Turkey has provided arms to Azerbaijan.
COP29 Chief Exec Filmed Promoting Fossil Fuel Deals
A senior official at COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan appears to have used his role to arrange a meeting to discuss potential fossil fuel deals, the BBC can report.
A secret recording shows the chief executive of Azerbaijan’s COP29 team, Elnur Soltanov, discussing “investment opportunities” in the state oil and gas company with a man posing as a potential investor.
“We have a lot of gas fields that are to be developed,” he says. A former head of the UN body responsible for the climate talks told the BBC that Soltanov’s actions were “completely unacceptable” and a “betrayal” of the COP process.
Most Opposition Parties Ditch UN Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan, Citing Human Rights Concerns By Raffy Boudjikanian
Green MP calls UN’s choice of host country ‘appalling’. “It’s the first time that no Green MPs will be attending intentionally, as the result of the choice of the host country,” said Kitchener-Centre Green Party MP Mike Morrice.