Statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Artsakh / Nagorno Karabakh
During the Human Rights Council 63rd Session, Dr. Joel Veldkamp, Director for Public Advocacy at Christian Solidarity International, delivered the following statement on the floor.
The statement is co-sponsored by European Centre for Law and Justice and World Evangelical Alliance.
Mister President,
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This month marks three years since Azerbaijan conquered Nagorno Karabakh and emptied it of its entire Armenian Christian population.
To this day, Azerbaijan continues to block all 150,000 displaced Armenians from returning to their homes, in defiance of the International Court of Justice order of November 17, 2023.
Azerbaijan is also unlawfully holding 20 Armenians captive for political reasons, and continues to demolish Armenian heritage sites, most recently a medieval cemetery near Shushi.
We are deeply concerned by the fact that this month, a group of 150 diplomats took part in a tour of Nagorno Karabakh’s ethnically-cleansed cities, a tour in which Azerbaijani officials falsely presented medieval Armenian churches as belonging to another people group.
Peace in the South Caucasus cannot be built on ethnic cleansing, politically motivated unlawful detention, and cultural destruction.
We call on this Council to take meaningful measures to ensure the safe return of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to their homeland, with guarantees for the full enjoyment of their human rights.
One practical way to do this would be by supporting the peace forum for Nagorno Karabakh mandated by the Swiss parliament.
Christian Solidarity International