It is a message to Armenians: if you return to Nagorno-Karabakh, you will starve, be imprisoned, or killed - Ocampo

The ethnic cleansing of Armenians who have lived for centuries in Nagorno-Karabakh constitutes genocide, and their displacement is a crime against humanity. This was stated in a report by Luis Moreno Ocampo, the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

He noted that December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Genocide Convention. The adoption of this convention reflects the consistent stance of participating states on the issue of denying the perpetration of genocide. However, the world has witnessed a different situation, where information regarding the genocide being committed against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh has been systematically ignored.

“Concerning the obligation to punish genocide, participating states such as France or Great Britain can facilitate the referral of the situation related to Nagorno-Karabakh to the International Criminal Court by the UN Security Council,” the report stated.

According to him, the most urgent aspect of preventing genocide is to end the risk of serious physical and mental harm to the three former presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh and five other public leaders.

“Their captivity is part of the genocide and serves as a message to Armenians that if you return to Nagorno-Karabakh, you will starve, be imprisoned, or killed,” Ocampo wrote.

Accompanying the report was a video featuring former Prime Minister and former Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan, which presents his life story, detailing how his father died during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, and how he lost his sight due to an explosion.

Ocampo added that on February 1, 2024, the International Criminal Court will gain jurisdiction to investigate President Aliyev's actions related to crimes committed in Armenia since May 10, 2021.

It should be noted that as a result of the ratification of the Rome Statute, Armenia will become a member of the International Criminal Court from February 1.