Azerbaijan and Armenia Battle it Out in International Court over Ethnic Cleansing Claims

Azerbaijan has requested the International Court of Justice to dismiss a case brought by Armenia accusing it of anti-Azeri ethnic cleansing in violation of a U.N. anti-discrimination treaty. This request was made following a similar request by Armenia to dismiss a case brought against it by Azerbaijan, which is part of the ongoing conflict between the South Caucasus neighbors, particularly over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan.

The initial case was filed by Armenia in 2021, accusing Azerbaijan of promoting racism against Armenians, tolerating hate speech towards them, and damaging Armenian cultural sites. In response, Azerbaijan filed a counter-case alleging that Armenia carried out ethnic cleansing from the early 1990s until 2020. However, Armenia has refuted these allegations and argued that Azerbaijan was relying on facts predating the entry into force of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) between the two countries in September 1996.

The legal battle is ongoing with both sides making their arguments during court hearings last week. These current hearings will focus on legal objections to the ICJ’s jurisdiction and will not address the substance of the discrimination claims. The final ruling in both cases may take years and the court lacks the ability to enforce its decisions.