Armenian human rights activist: Elimination of incitement to hatred  and discrimination is a key condition for peace talks with Azerbaijan

ArmInfo. Any global agenda, including that between Armenia and Azerbaijan, requires the elimination of hate speech and discrimination. Siranush Sahakyan, a  lawyer representing the  Armenian prisoners  interests at the  European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), made this statement  during  the panel discussion "Incitement to hatred in Azerbaijan: Key  Findings of the Report" on April 22. 

The human rights activist emphasized that, despite the existence of  international mechanisms designed to respond to manifestations of  hatred and discrimination, with the development of modern  technologies, this task is becoming  increasingly difficult. "In  Azerbaijan, Armenians are compared to animals or regarded as lower  beings. To put it mildly, in Azerbaijan they can say: "Armenians are  dogs, and therefore, they can be treated as such," Sahakyan noted. In  this regard, the human rights activist recalled that Armenia had  filed a lawsuit in the International Court, specifically addressing  the issue of incitement to hatred.  Sahakyan pointed out the  potential risks that could arise if Armenia, following the latest  demands of the Azerbaijani authorities, withdraws claims against  Azerbaijan from international courts on the basis of reciprocity.

"It is important to note that  the International Court's decision  specifically requires the prevention of the spread of discrimination  and incitement to hatred at the state level, whereas in Armenia's  case this pertains to individuals," the human rights activist  added.The expert also pointed out that in Azerbaijan, organizations  dealing with refugee issues have become political tools in the hands  of the state. "Earlier they were dealing with humanitarian issues,  then they announced the return of Azerbaijanis to Artsakh, and now  they have started talking about their intention to "return" to  Armenia," Sahakyan noted.

As another example of inciting hatred, Sahakyan cited the systematic  destruction of the cultural and historical heritage of Artsakh. "All  of this is not happening at the level of private organizations, but  is initiated and coordinated by the state. Rhetoric is spreading that  this property belongs to "dirty Armenians" and should be destroyed,  which causes an additional wave of hatred," the human rights activist  said.  Sahakyan then noted that Azerbaijani propaganda portrays  Armenians as terrorists. "This is necessary for Azerbaijan to  legitimize the use of military force against Armenia. This was the  rhetoric that Azerbaijan used when it started the war against  Artsakh. Now that Artsakh has been captured, they are going to use  the terrorist narrative to start a war against Armenia. If Armenians  are perceived as terrorists, then all actions taken against them are  justified," the human rights activist clarified.  

Additionally, she criticized  Armenian authorities for not using the  opportunities available to them to hold the Azerbaijani side  accountable, including through lawsuits in international courts  despite numerous pieces of evidence of crimes committed by  Azerbaijan, including crimes against humanity.  Sahakyan recalled  that Armenia has ratified the Rome Statute, which  could be used  against Azerbaijan, but did not utilize this tool, even though the  statute was adopted to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes  against Armenians. She also touched upon the judicial farce against  Armenians in Baku, stating her belief that these trials are necessary  for Azerbaijan to prove that Artsakh did not exist and that all  actions of the Artsakh leadership were coordinated from Armenia.  "Through this trial, Azerbaijan is trying to obtain "sufficient"  evidence to justify aggression against Armenia," Sahakyan explained.