Armenian organizations in France want to achieve criminal prosecution of Azerbaijan president Aliyev

The Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) has petitioned to the International Criminal Court (ICC) with a request to open a criminal case against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The respective document emphasizes that Azerbaijan’s military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, from September 27, 2020 to October 4, 2023, led to the forced displacement of 120,000 Armenians and the loss of their centuries-old cultural heritage.

The CCAF demands that, under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, the ICC prosecutor take the following measures:

Recognize the existence of sufficient grounds to open an investigation into the crimes committed against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh between 2020 and 2023.

Refer the matter of the ICC’s territorial jurisdiction over Nagorno-Karabakh to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber.

Issue an international arrest warrant for Ilham Aliyev, as well as all accomplices in the crimes committed in Nagorno-Karabakh, from 2020 to 2023.

The CCAF had earlier called on the French government to refer this case to the ICC, but, according to this organization, the West has not shown any determination so far.

“This is the second time since 1915 that Armenians have faced such a denial of justice. Such a situation is unacceptable,” the CCAF statement added.