Ocampo warns of new risk of genocide against Armenia

Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), warned of a new risk of genocide against Armenia as he addressed the 5th Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide in Yerevan on Friday.

“Azerbaijan is telling international courts that Armenia does not exist, it is ‘Western Azerbaijan’,” he told the forum, pointing to a decision adopted by the Azerbaijani parliament.

Ocampo hailed Armenia’s ratification of the Rome Statute in October 2023 as a crucial step.

“Aliyev knows that he could be next after Netanyahu. That’s why international law could be a protection,” the lawyer said.

Ocampo highlighted that the Rome Statute could help Armenia apply to the International Criminal Court as a tool of pressure on Azerbaijan.

The former ICC chief prosecutor spotlighted efforts to prevent genocides.