Tens of 1000’s of ethnic Armenians fled the area after Azeri forces seized the territory after a lightning offensive.
Judges on the high UN court docket have stated that Azerbaijan should permit ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh throughout an Azerbaijani military takeover to return to their properties.
In a call on Friday, the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice stated that earlier ethnic Armenian residents have to be allowed again and that those that remained there have to be saved protected.
“Azerbaijan must … ensure that persons who have left Nagorno-Karabakh after September 19, 2023, and who wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh are able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner,” presiding choose Joan Donoghue stated.
Azerbaijan captured Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as Azeri territory, after defeating separatist ethnic Armenian fighters in a lightning marketing campaign in September. For the reason that assault, many of the area’s 120,000 ethnic Armenians have fled for neighbouring Armenia.
Yerevan has accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleaning, whereas Baku has argued that it’s seizing control of a breakaway territory whose standing has been contested by a number of wars.
Azerbaijan’s assault was preceded by a greater than nine-month siege that choked off entry to important items for residents.
The court docket additionally acknowledged that Azerbaijan should assure that these Armenians who stay in Nagorno-Karabakh “are free from the use of force or intimidation that may cause them to flee”.
Azerbaijan’s overseas ministry stated in an announcement that it “is committed to upholding the human rights of the Armenian residents of Karabakh on an equal basis with other citizens of Azerbaijan”.
However many ethnic Armenians who fled have expressed doubts that they are going to be protected in the event that they return to the enclave, if they’re allowed again in any respect, underneath the rule of what they see as a hostile energy.
