Garnik Kerkonyan։ We ask the Human Rights Council to stand with our people as we seek the most fundamental of human rights

Yesterday, international lawyer Garnik Kerkonyan, a member of the Committee for the Protection of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh, delivered a speech at the UN Human Rights plenary session in Geneva.

"After forcibly displacing 150,000 indigenous Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues to block their safe return, in violation of the ICJ Order of 17 November 2023. In fact, just two months ago, Azerbaijan expelled the last 11 Armenians remaining in Nagorno-Karabakh.

But this is not enough, Mr. Vice President. Azerbaijan continues to destroy Armenian culture and religious heritage in defiance of the ICJ Order of 7 December 2021, seeking to erase even the evidence of our people's presence in Nagorno-Karabakh, a presence spanning more than 4,000 years. Azerbaijan today arbitrarily detains 20 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, subjecting them to torture and sham trials without access to counsel or even the evidence against them.

By expelling the Red Cross, Azerbaijan has stripped these detainees of all independent humanitarian oversight. These violations demand a response from this council. Mr. Vice President, the elected representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh stand ready to participate in the peace forum mandated by the Swiss Parliament last year.

We ask the Human Rights Council to stand with our people as we seek the most fundamental of human rights, the right to return to our indigenous homeland. Thank you".