A group of civil society organizations of Armenia sent a letter to Alice Ndreitu, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide to United Nations Secretary General, warning about the threat of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan against the population of Nagorno Karabakh.
The letter, which was prepared and submitted by Open Society Foundations – Armenia, Protection of Rights without Borders NGO, Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center, “For Equal Rights” NGO, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor NGO and Law Development and Protection Foundation, says:
“Two years have passed since the war, but major security issues have not been resolved yet, the fundamental rights of many people remain violated, and there is a significant and growing threat of new clashes and atrocities. It is especially alarming that there is a probable scenario of ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh of its indigenous Armenian population. The extremely hateful and belligerent rhetoric of the Azerbaijani government, the revisionist and racialized narratives that deny Armenians of historic agency, the destruction of Armenian monuments and appropriation of cultural heritage, the exceptional cruelty by Azerbaijani armed forces, the continuous threats to use violence and acts of intimidation are characteristic of genocidal atrocities. The scenario of ethnic cleansing could become a reality if the crimes committed by the Azerbaijani side remain unaddressed and no effective pressure is put on official Baku to abstain from the use of violence”.
The organizations mentioned that it is critical that these events receive proper attention from international organizations, including the UN, and are characterized accordingly.
“The large-scale attack against the sovereign territory of Armenia was a clear act of aggression in violation of the UN Charter, and Azerbaijan continues to occupy territories in Eastern and Southern Armenia, creating significant livelihood challenges for the local population. And yet, many statements, including one from Secretary General Guterres stroke a neutral tone. This is unfortunate since, as we already described, this only emboldens the aggressor. The European Union’s civilian monitoring mission, which was deployed on October 20 and works on the territory of Armenia is a very welcome development. However, their mission is only for two months, and it doesn’t have enough staff on the ground. Moreover, Azerbaijan will likely disagree to prolong the mission, without considerable international pressure, yet it is crucial that such international mission remains in place as a mechanism to prevent further use of force. The UN could add its voice here, but also consider joining efforts with this mission. Stronger international presence and engagement is the only hope for peace, given the huge power imbalance between the two sides. Furthermore, the risk of ethnic cleansing and gross human rights abuses against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh should receive much greater attention. It should be made clear to Baku that the world is watching and expects it will move away from its policy of hatred towards Armenians, abandon its ongoing use of force and intimidation, and begin direct negotiations with Nagorno-Karabakh, which ideally would be internationally mediated. There should also be pressure on Baku to allow for humanitarian access (at the moment only ICRC has access), especially for the UN.
In closing, it should be noted that while this may seem like a small-scale conflict, it sets a dangerous precedent of normalizing the use of force and weakening international frameworks and institutions designed to resolve and prevent conflicts, including the UN”, says the letter.
Read the full text of the letter here.