ArmInfo. Azerbaijan once again demonstrated its disregard for justice, human rights and international law by staging a sham trial against the leaders of Artsakh. Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian writes about this in his article, commenting on the judicial sham trial that began today in Baku against the former military-political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh.
As the former head of the Foreign Ministry noted, this grotesque spectacle is the latest act by Baku to erase the Armenian presence from a region that has been its cultural and historical heartland for centuries. It also serves as glaring indictment of the international community's failure to act and, perhaps most damningly, of the Armenian government's complicity in the tragic dismantling of Artsakh.
"This trial is not an isolated case. It is the culmination of a Azerbaijan's deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing. Just over a year ago, Azerbaijan expelled 120,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, blockading the region for nine months before launching a brutal military assault in September 2023. Since then, it has razed cultural landmarks, desecrate cemeteries, and sought to rewrite history by erasing the Armenian identity of the region," Oskanian emphasized.
He, however, reminded that Azerbaijan does not act in a vacuum. Its aggression was enabled by the deafening silence of the international community and the shameful passivity of the major powers. "Statements of 'concern' are not substitute for meaningful actions. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, once tasked with brokering peace, have abandoned their responsibilities, leaving Azerbaijan free to trample on international norms with impunity. Equally culpable is Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose complicity has brought shame upon the Armenian nation. Pashinyan's government has consistently failed to protect the people of Artsakh. His administration's lack of preparedness, refusal to engage diplomatically, and failure to mobilize the international community allowed Azerbaijan to act unchecked. Pashinyan remains silent while Armenian families mourn the loss of their homeland and their leaders face imprisonment, his inaction a stain to Armenia's honor and a betrayal of its commitment to its people's survival. The international community must wake up to the consequences of its indifference. Allowing Azerbaijan's actions to go unchallenged sets a dangerous precedent. It signals that ethnic cleansing can be conducted with impunity, that international law can be trampled with consequence, and that justice is an empty word. This moment also demands introspection from the Armenian people and their government," said the former minister.
He stressed that Pashinyan's failures cannot be forgotten or forgiven. The Armenian nation must demand leadership that will stand firm against aggression, protect its people, and rebuild its dignity on the international stage. "The trials in Baku are not just an attack on the Armenian people. They are a test of humanity's commitments to justice and human rights. The world must not let Azerbaijan's sham justice prevail. It is time to stand with the Armenian people, for justice, for truth, and for the principles that bind us all as human beings," the former minister noted.