The “International and Comparative Law Center” NGO submitted a report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) for the review of Azerbaijan's periodic report on July 1, 2022.
The report is about Azerbaijan's policy of racial discrimination and ethnic hatred against ethnic Armenians, which has significantly got worse since the 2020 44-day war and is still relevant today. It also highlights the cases of ethnically motivated violence against Armenians and the impunity of the perpetrators by the state itself.
Report in full: Alternative Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) For Review of the Periodic Report of Azerbaijan.
Provocative Speeches of Politicians Against Armenians
During the 2020 war, the rhetoric of the Azerbaijani authorities was armenophobic. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized that Armenia is "an enemy" in his messages to the nation.
During the military operations, discriminatory information was also spread outside the territory of Azerbaijan using the media, social networks and television. An example of this was the speech of Saadat Kadyrova, the Head of the Department of Relations with Diplomatic Structures for TASS He justified the bombing of the Ghazanchetsots temple in Shushi and the presence of victims among Russian journalists, and also called the Armenian army "occupation forces".
The hate speech of Azerbaijan's representatives creates negative prejudices against the Armenian community. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) gives clear instructions to the authorities of Azerbaijan that "public officials at all levels refrain from hate speech against Armenians".
One of the statements threatening the security of the Armenian population in the territory of Artsakh was Ilham Aliyev's statement to the Armenians on October 4, 2020.
"Now we have shown who is who. We make them go away like dogs.”
In the context of Azerbaijani politics, all those who do not share the view of "Karabakh is Azerbaijan" become occupiers, including those who speak about giving autonomy to these territories.
Armenians are often called "barbarians". "Armenian fascism" is the most radical assessment of both the authorities of Armenia and the activities of ordinary people who do not share the views of the official position of Azerbaijan.
An important turn of events was the victory parade, which was held on December 10, 2020 in Baku, with the participation of Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Turkish troops. The Turkish president, as the main ally of Azerbaijan, mentioned the name of Enver Pasha, who was one of the key people planning and carrying out the Armenian Genocide.
Moreover, the official attitude of the authorities of Azerbaijan and Turkey regarding the historical tragedy of the Armenian Genocide was expressed by the gesture of Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu during the demonstration dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Day in Uruguay. He showed the protesters the sign of the Gray Wolves, a far-right Turkish organization and movement linked to the Nationalist Movement party. It is usually characterized as an ultra-nationalist and neo-fascist establishment. With this behavior, the Azerbaijani authorities threaten the existence of Armenians with Turkey, an allied state that shares their idea.
Cases of ethnic violence and extrajudicial killings against Armenians
The Azerbaijani side committed an extrajudicial killing of 73-year-old Benik Hakobyan and 25-year-old Yuri Adamyan in the northern outskirts of Hadrut. Two videos were published on the Internet, where Hakobyan and Adamyan's interactions can be seen with the Azerbaijani military.
In the first video, both men are seen handing over their weapons and military equipment on the orders of an unknown Azerbaijani soldier. At the command of a Russian-speaking Azerbaijani soldier, both of them slowly walk towards the military with their hands outstretched, but are treated hostally and with unreasonable aggression. The video shows how the soldier throws Hakobyan to the ground, then points the weapon at his head.
In the second video, Hakobyan and Adamyan are sitting, and the flags of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are wrapped around their bodies. At the end of the video, the Azerbaijani soldier gives a verbal order to fire at the "heads" of the unarmed soldiers. The shooting continues even as their bodies lie.
The Azerbaijani government has denied the authenticity of the video, accusing the Armenian government of "staging" the execution videos.
But several independent investigative networks and experts agreed that this was indeed not a staged operation, but a clear violation of human rights. Azerbaijan should not only bear responsibility for such violence, but also hold the soldiers violating international mandates accountable for their crimes. However Azerbaijan has not shown serious willingness to investigate any of these cases. Therefore, the burden of ensuring the implementation of justice falls on the shoulders of international institutions.
Yuri Asriyan is another innocent victim who was brutally killed before the camera by Azerbaijani soldiers in October 2020. An 80-year-old resident of Azokh village in the southern Hadrut district of Artsakh, resisted the Azerbaijani soldiers asking them to stop their brutal treatment against him. The video ends with Yuri's body lying motionless, his throat brutally slashed.
According to the reports provided to us, Yuri refused to leave his house. According to Yuri's sister Maria, he lived alone and had various diseases. Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention prohibits attacks on civilians, including "members of armed forces who have laid down their arms". This also includes individuals who have illnesses.
Baku's "War trophy park" is also an example of anti-Armenian propaganda from the Azerbaijani side. The park was opened by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in 2020, months after the war. On its opening day, the park was decorated with various trucks, tanks, helmets and all other types of military equipment captured during the conflict.
Among the most racist exhibits in the park are caricatures and mannequins of Armenian soldiers in various degrading and humiliating positions and scenes.
On that occasion, Armenia submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court. In October, Azerbaijan removed the helmets, mannequins and traces of blood of Armenian soldiers.
But still, the park remains open and continues to propagate false statements and claims about the 2020 war, and the photos of the removed helmets and the mannequin are still on the official website of the park, and the photo of Ilham Aliyev in the background of the helmets is one of the most popular on social networks.