The First Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, who wrote a report describing Azerbaijan's actions against the Armenian population in Azerbaijani-occupied Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as "genocide," has issued a second open letter to Armenians around the world.
In this open letter, Ocampo identified three problems that 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," Ocampo wrote.
He noted that Armenia’s 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.
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 [US Secretary of State] Mr. [Antony] 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. (…).
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," Ocampo continued.
According to the human rights advocate, the “next step will be to demand the delegates to COP29 raise their voices about these issues.”
Ocampo added that he is “delighted” to receive an invitation 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," Ocampo concluded his new open letter.
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