Azerbaijan Announces International Arrest Warrant for Armenian Officials and 300 Armenians, While Only One Azerbaijani is Targeted

During a session in the National Assembly, Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan was questioned by MP Taguhi Tovmasyan regarding international warrants for arrest. "Azerbaijan has declared an international warrant for several hundred of our compatriots. The list includes Artsakh President Araik Harutyunyan, the commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, Artsakh's Foreign Minister David Babayan, Arman Babajanyan, and former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan. In return, our prosecutor's office has issued an international warrant for a single Azerbaijani sports commentator. Don’t you think it is necessary to restore balance?" the MP asked.

In response, the minister noted that issuing an arrest warrant cannot be an end in itself. "We have repeatedly discussed what strategy Armenia should adopt. The tool of issuing arrest warrants should contribute to the realization of our goals, rather than being an end in itself," Badasyan stated.

It is worth noting that Nurvan Ibrahimov, a representative of the Azerbaijani football club ‘Karabakh,’ called for the killing of all Armenians—elderly, women, children—without distinction, on his Facebook page in October 2020. On November 26, Armenia's Investigative Committee reported that an international warrant had been issued for Ibrahimov. He has been involved as a defendant in stirring national and racial hatred (Article 226 of the Armenian Criminal Code), inciting genocide directly and publicly (Article 393.1, Part 2, Point 1 of the Armenian Criminal Code), and justifying and approving crimes against humanity and peace (Article 373.1 of the Armenian Criminal Code).