Former ICC Chief Prosecutor Warns of Armenian Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh
- Luis Moreno Ocampo, first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, calls on world powers to prevent a genocide starvation of 120,000 Armenians
- Nagorno-Karabakh has been blockaded by Azerbaijan for months, blocking food and other supplies
Ocampo’s report notes the blockade constitutes genocide according to the Genocide Convention in “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”
Statement of Global ARM President Timothy Jemal on Former ICC Prosecutor’s Report on Azerbaijan’s Blockade of the Lachin Corridor
On Monday, former ICC Prosecutor Luis Ocampo issued a detailed report asserting that Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor constitutes Genocide according to the Genocide Convention in “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”
Azerbaijani and Russian Security Forces together at Blockade Checkpoint.
Since Azerbaijan first erected the blockade in December 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, USAID Administrator Samantha Power and EU leaders have rightly and publicly warned on multiple occasions of dire humanitarian consequences if Azerbaijan fails to lift its blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Moreover, several U.S. and EU leaders, including EU peacekeepers on the ground, have seen with their own eyes Azerbaijan’s blockade with the apparent support of Russian peacekeepers. In fact, Russian tanks are stationed on the ground next to Azerbaijani security forces at the blockade check point.
Global ARM strongly supports U.S. mediation between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh to achieve a lasting and just peace. But imposing an agreement where two parties, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, are forced to make harmful concessions under occupation and the threat of Genocide is a path to further conflict. This must and can be avoided.
The U.S. and European Union have the tools to achieve the following immediate confidence-building measures and create the environment for a durable peace:
- Immediately lifting the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor and delivering critical humanitarian supplies to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh
- Immediate return of all Armenian POWs and captured civilians from Azerbaijan
- Immediate withdrawal of all Azerbaijani military personnel and installations from Armenia proper
- Targeted sanctions against Azerbaijan for violations of U.S. and international law including enforcement of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, enforcement of the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, Magnitsky Act Sanctions and Leahy Law sanctions
If these measures are taken, there is a chance to achieve a lasting peace where the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan can lively freely with guaranteed physical security and protection of civil, political and religious rights.
Forbes: Lachin Corridor Blockade Starves Nagorno-Karabakh
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, lawyer, human rights advocate, and author, underscores the critical importance of taking the reports concerning Nagorno-Karabakh’s dire situation seriously.
Washington Post: Armenians Face Genocide in Azerbaijan, Former International Criminal Court Prosecutor Warns
“Ocampo said the U.N. Security Council should refer the situation to the International Criminal Court, a step that would be necessary for the ICC to take it up because Azerbaijan is not a signatory to the statute that created the court.
It is not clear if Russia would use its veto power on the Security Council against such a move. Russia has faced persistent criticism for its peacekeepers’ inaction in the blockade.”
ABC News: Armenians Face Genocide in Azerbaijan, Former International Criminal Court Prosecutor Warns
AP: Armenians Face Genocide in Azerbaijan, Former International Criminal Court Prosecutor Warns
