Armenia files discrimination lawsuit against Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia has filed a lawsuit against Azerbaijan in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), according to a press release from The Hague published September 29.

The lawsuit calls on the court to uphold the rights protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

Armenia's suit asks the ICJ to impose new demands on Azerbaijan in addition to reinforcing its obligations under previous orders.

The new demands include the complete withdrawal of military and law enforcement personnel from civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh and the facilitation of humanitarian aid deliveries to ethnic Armenians in the region.

It also calls on Azerbaijan to "refrain from taking any actions directly or indirectly aimed at...displacing the remaining ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh."

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. As of September 30 morning, around 100,417 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.