The government has filed four such lawsuits in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and another one in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It accuses Azerbaijan of committing war crimes, violating the rights of Armenian prisoners, occupying Armenian territory and forcibly displacing Karabakh’s population. Baku has likewise taken Yerevan to these international tribunals, alleging various violations of international law.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly suggested this year that the two sides could mutually drop these cases if they manage to finalize an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. Azerbaijani officials have not yet publicly commented on the idea. Baku reportedly wants to make sure that the treaty precludes Armenian lawsuits.
“There is no such issue on the agenda right now,” said Yeghishe Kirakosian, who represents the Armenian government in international tribunals. “The examination of cases [filed by Yerevan] is ongoing. Procedural steps necessary to ensure the examination of claims are ongoing.”
Kirakosian refused to express his view on the matter. He also did not deny recent media reports that he has threatened to resign if Pashinian’s government does decide to drop those cases.
“I don’t comment on these issues,” the official told a news conference.
In a joint statement issued in March, Armenian civic organizations and legal experts joined by their exiled colleagues from Karabakh denounced Pashinian’s readiness to withdraw the lawsuits. They said that ECHR and ICJ verdicts sought by Yerevan are essential for “preventing new Azerbaijani encroachments against Armenia,” “investigating crimes committed against the people of Artsakh” and facilitating the Karabakh Armenians’ eventual safe return to their homeland.
Significantly, Armenia has still not filed any cases against Azerbaijan at another tribunal, the International Criminal Court (ICC). Bringing Azerbaijan to justice for its war crimes and preventing more Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia was the main official rationale for Yerevan’s accession to the ICC completed in February.
The ICC issued in 2023 an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes allegedly committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Pashinian’s detractors say the purpose of his decision to submit to The Hague court’s jurisdiction was to please the West and embarrass Moscow, rather than take further legal action against Baku.