Three problems are interrelated: Armenia remains at risk, as a peace treaty with Azerbaijan is being negotiated; there is no clarity on how the Nagorno-Karabakh people, the victims of the 2023 genocide, could safely return to their ancestral land; and 23 Armenian hostages are still in Baku prisons.
Azerbaijan is hosting COP29, the UN Climate Change Conference, in Baku in November 2024, under the guise of a “COP for peace.” If Armenians are not released and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is ignored by the delegates attending COP29, President Aliyev will be handed a powerful platform to surge his geopolitical ambitions to occupy the entire Armenia.
Such a scenario will not only deny the Nagorno-Karabakh genocide and condemn the hostages to remain in jail for many years, but it will also relegate the entire community to a forgotten relic of the past, and it would escalate the risk to Armenia itself.
Armenia’s legitimate authorities are conducting very complex negotiations. The Armenians, in Armenia and the diaspora, and people like me, concerned about genocides and wars, should respect those efforts while raising awareness of the problem and uniting all the Armenians to protect the people and the land.
Read also
It is happening, Armenians from all over the world are campaigning. On August 23, Berge Setrakian, AGBU President, appealed to the US Secretary of State to ensure the release of all Armenian detainees from Azerbaijan. He recognized the US efforts, but he was concerned that Mr. Blinken’s words “have gone unheeded and will continue to be ignored.”
During the past month thousands of people from more than 30 countries, many with Armenian ancestors, came together in digital forums and on social media. They were united by the same hashtags #COP29, # StopGreenwashGenocide, #FreeArmenianHostages, and #FreePoliticalPrisoners. Artists like Serj Tankian, and organizations like the Armenian National Committee of America, Christian Solidarity International, and the Armenian Assembly of America, LIBERTAS in France, etc. promoted the same idea. #StopGreenwashGenocide and #FreeArmenianHostages became the two top hashtags related to COP29 on Twitter. In addition to the online campaign, protests were held from Yerevan to Toronto demanding the return of the Armenian hostages incarcerated in Baku.
Now is the time to broaden the movement and connect it with the decision-makers worldwide. Armenians are not the only Aliyev victims. He is affecting the environment, Azeris citizens and even European parliamentarians. Azerbaijan, a country enriched by fossil fuels, postures as a leader in climate change-diverting global efforts. The regime has no mercy, it represses journalists, academics, and any dissenters within its borders. Just a few days ago, it banned entry to Azerbaijan for 76 European parliamentarians from 26 countries for exposing its corruption. During my recent visit to high schools in Buenos Aires, I met teenagers who understood that such activities undermine their future and are eager to start TikTok campaigns to reach their peers around the world.
The next step will be to demand the delegates to COP29 raise their voices about these issues, including Aliyev greenwashing his fossil energy incomes, Nagorno-Karabakh genocide, corrupting the political system in Europe and the US, and the political prisoners and Armenian hostages in Baku.
I was delighted to receive an invitation from His Holiness Karekin II, and the Center for Truth and Justice to visit Armenia on September 9. This will be a unique opportunity to meet the representatives of the Armenian civil society and to refine a common strategy.
Armenians let’s protect Armenia and lead the world to a truly peaceful COP29.
Luis Moreno Ocampo
The First Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Buenos Aires, September 4th, 2024