HRC 57 Session. Item 9. General Debate Delivered by Hrachuhi Katvalyan, Deputy Permanent Representative

Delivered by Hrachuhi Katvalyan, Deputy Permanent Representative

President,

After nine-months-long inhumane siege of Nagorno-Karabakh, in flagrant violation of the two Orders of the International Court of Justice, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked attack, killing hundreds and forcibly displacing over 100,000 people from their ancestral homes. The ICJ observed that Armenians were "compelled to flee" due to the military attack, but also due to "fear of being targeted" as a "protected group under CERD." The Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe also concluded that Armenian population fled "because of the genuine threat of physical extinction, a long-standing policy in Azerbaijan of hatred towards Armenians."

This policy has been manifested ever since the 1980s, when the massacres and persecution of Armenians were well documented in court proceedings, but also in the resolutions of the European Parliament and US Congress. Years of discrimination have been registered by numerous international organizations. The UN CERD Committee, in particular expressed its deep concerns about the "incitement to racial hatred and the propagation of racist stereotypes against Armenians by public figures and governmental officials."

There were around 500.000 Armenians living in Soviet Azerbaijan. There are none today, due to this continuous policy of discrimination and ethnic cleansing.

Thank you.

Right of Reply

President,

Armenia exercises its right of reply to Azerbaijan

The International Court of Justice observed that "according to United Nations reports, more than 100,000 persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin have found themselves compelled to leave their place of residence since the operation commenced by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh". According to numerous international reports, for years Azerbaijan has cultivated an environment of hatred and discrimination against Armenians that led to the ethnic cleansing. In this environment, literal axe murderers are awarded, promoted and glorified as national heroes for killing Armenians in peacetime. In this environment older persons who were left behind were tortured, beheaded by Azerbaijani servicemen and the crimes were videotaped. Numerous atrocities have been well documented inter allia in nine recent communications dispatched by the UN Mandate Holders to Azerbaijan.

Overall, this consistent policy resulted in the complete annihilation of Armenians who once numbered around 500.000 in Soviet Azerbaijan. There are virtually none today. They were massacred and displaced. And Azerbaijan has recently expanded its calls for the erasure of ethnic Armenians even from areas outside of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is now making claims to "the territory of nowadays Armenia". It may aim at continuing committing atrocities.

Azerbaijan tries to consolidated the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh by systematically erasing Armenian cultural and religious heritage. The UN Special Rapporteur on cultural rights called it a "cultural cleansing." She has also reported that it has been "the direct manifestation of a discriminatory approach of the Azerbaijan towards Armenians."

It has been so massive and aggressive that the ICJ ordered Azerbaijan to "take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin". As in the case of other five binding orders of the ICJ, Azerbaijan has totally ignored this one too.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance has found that Azerbaijan's "political leaders, educational institutions and media have continued using hate speech against Armenians", and that "an entire generation of Azerbaijanis has now grown up listening to this hateful rhetoric".

The UN CERD Committee "expressed concern at the repeated and unpunished use of inflammatory language and at its adverse impact on the public's view of ethnic Armenians."

Thank you.

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