And now we face another: last month, the California-based Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), of which I served first chief prosecutor, to investigate Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for genocide against the Armenians. in Armenia – and this is a petition that the ICC should consider.
The difficulty in proving genocide often lies in proving the intent to destroy – in whole or in part – a designated group. This is why the massive case presented to the ICC on April 18 by Judge Gassia Apkarian of the Superior Court of Orange County, United States, who represents the Center for Truth and Justice, is remarkable. It presents consistent statements made by Aliyev over the past decade, unequivocally demonstrating his intent to destroy ethnic Armenians.
To be clear, this is not just about the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh – an autonomous and contested enclave within Azerbaijan. The communication focuses on different forms of genocide committed against Armenians in Armenia itself.
As early as April 2015, Aliyev published a statement on the official Azerbaijani government website, warning ethnic Armenians: “If you do not want to die, then leave Azerbaijani lands. » He also repeatedly dehumanized ethnic Armenians, calling them “viruses,” “rats,” “dogs,” “devils,” “terrorists,” “fascists,” “enemies.” , “usurping intruders”, “barbarians and vandals”. ”, while encouraging violence against them.
To destroy various Armenian groups that were in areas of Armenia under illegal Azerbaijani occupation, he created conditions calculated to cause the physical destruction of civilians and produce mental harm (as defined by Article 2c of the Convention on genocide), leading in turn to their decimation (Article 2b) and forced displacement. Subsequently, Azerbaijani armed forces launched military attacks to take control of these areas, indiscriminately killing ethnic Armenian civilians who refused or were unable to flee (Article 2a).
In Nagorno-Karabakh, Aliyev implemented this strategy in full view of the international community.
Politices
