Thursday, September 19 2024 19:56

ArmInfo. A year after Azerbaijan's attack on Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, the head of the Artsakh Union public organization and Gegham Stepanyan, the Artsakh Ombudsman, filed a lawsuit in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan announced this on his Facebook page.  As Beglaryan said, the lawsuit highlights that as a result of the 9-month blockade that started on  December 12, 2022, the residents of Artsakh suffered from a lack of  food and medical care. This was followed by the sudden attack of the  Azerbaijani armed forces on September 19, 2023, leading to the forced  deportation of the entire Armenian population.

"A group of military-political leadership of Artsakh, as well as  residents who were unable to leave Artsakh, have been arrested by the  Azerbaijani authorities and are currently being held in prison. They  are subjected to torture and cruel treatment, and are denied the  ability to communicate normally with their families and lawyers," the  lawsuit continues.  According to Beglaryan, leading international  lawyers Francois Zimeray and Catalina de la Sota, who represent the  interests of Artak Beglaryan and Gegham Stepanyan, recently made a  statement. It states: 

"The forced deportation of the Armenians of Artsakh has all the  hallmarks of a crime against humanity.  This was a forced removal of  people from their legal places of residence, carried out with full  awareness of its consequences. There is no justification for forcibly  depriving civilians of their homeland and homes.  The world must  denounce this atrocity, which is the main goal of our lawsuit."