Armenia has requested that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismiss a case brought by Azerbaijan accusing them of anti-Azeri ethnic cleansing in violation of a U.N. anti-discrimination treaty. This request comes after Azerbaijan made a similar request to the ICJ to dismiss a case brought against them by Armenia. The final ruling in both cases is expected to take years, and the court does not have the power to enforce its rulings.
During a hearing at the ICJ, Armenia’s representative Yeghishe Kirakosyan argued that Azerbaijan was relying on facts from before the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) entered into force between the two countries in September 1996. The case is a result of ongoing tensions between the two South Caucasus neighbors, particularly regarding the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan.
In 2021, Armenia filed a case at the ICJ accusing Azerbaijan of racism against Armenians, tolerating hate speech, and destroying Armenian cultural sites, all of which Azerbaijan denies. In response, Azerbaijan filed their own case against Armenia, alleging ethnic cleansing from the early 1990s to 2020. Armenia refutes these claims.
The current hearings at the ICJ are focused on legal objections to the court’s jurisdiction and will not address the merits of discrimination claims. However, this may change if both parties agree to move past these legalities and address the underlying issues that have caused decades of conflict between them.
It is worth noting that this ongoing conflict has had far-reaching consequences for both countries and their citizens, including displacement and loss of life. As such, it is crucial for both sides to come together and find a peaceful solution that respects each other’s rights and dignity.
Overall, it remains to be seen what will happen next in this complex legal dispute between two neighboring countries with longstanding tensions. However one thing is clear: any resolution must prioritize justice for all parties involved and bring an end to decades of conflict in this region.
