HRC 49th Session: General Debate under Agenda Item 9 – Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance Delivered by Ms. Armine Petrosyan, Second Secretary - Embassy of Armenia to Switzerland and Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN office at Geneva

HRC 49th Session: General Debate under Agenda Item 9 – Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance Delivered by Ms. Armine Petrosyan, Second Secretary

28 March, 2022

President,

Armenia thanks High Commissioner for her report.

Armenia has continuously reported to this Council on appalling instances of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance practiced by Azerbaijan specifically against ethnic Armenians. Such practices continue, as we speak.

From March 8^th Azerbaijan has cut the gas supply for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh amid severe winter conditions. For 20 days Azerbaijan has been exercising collective punishment of around 120.000 Armenians only due to their ethnic origin. This is a clear-cut case of racial discrimination, however, far not the only one.

On numerous occasions the high-level officials of Azerbaijan stated that “Our main enemies are Armenians of the world.”

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has noted with concern “the repeated and unpunished use of inflammatory language by [Azerbaijani] politicians …and at its adverse impact on the public’s view of ethnic Armenians.” The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance has observed that “an entire generation of Azerbaijanis has now grown up listening to this hateful rhetoric.”

During the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh this anti-Armenian hatred has manifested itself in the atrocity crimes committed by Azerbaijan in the ugliest forms. Azerbaijan erected a Trophy Park in its capital to glorify those atrocities. As the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe stated “[t]his kind of display can only further intensify and strengthen longstanding hostile sentiments and hate speech, and multiply and promote manifestations of intolerance.”

Given the multitude of the racially motivated crimes, Armenia initiated a proceeding in the International Court of Justice on the violations of CERD convention by Azerbaijan. The ICJ has obliged Azerbaijan to protect Armenian detainees and ensure their equality before the law; to prevent anti-Armenian incitement and promotion of racial hatred, including by the officials and public institutions; and to take necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of destruction of Armenian cultural heritage. Azerbaijan blatantly ignores all these measures prescribed by the ICJ.

I thank you.

Right of reply

Armenia exercises its Right of Reply to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani authorities have used the dehumanization and demonization of Armenians as an instrument of propaganda to shape its public opinion and create deeply rooted derogatory stereotypes about Armenians.

The UN Human Rights Committee has noted with concern that in Azerbaijan (and I quote) “foreigners with Armenian surnames have been prevented from entering the State party regardless of their nationality.” Anyone bearing a surname that ends with the syllable spelled as “-YAN” automatically is presumed to be ethnic Armenian and harassed. Several officials in Azerbaijan lost their jobs, as it was unveiled that they have some Armenian ancestry. The books of a renowned Azerbaijani novelist were burned on the streets because he was preaching peace and reconciliation. A citizen was persecuted just for listening to Armenian music in his car in Baku. A teacher was sacked for teaching to schoolchildren that Armenians are not enemies. YouTube videos show kids were taught in kindergartens of Baku to hate Armenians. Armenian products have been seized at the custom check point and publicly burned in Azerbaijan, just for their country of origin, and the video footage was widely disseminated by public TV channels.

In accordance with the policy of national supremacy, Azerbaijan glorifies Nazi collaborators from its midst, such as Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, and erects monuments in their honor. At the same time, it demolished monuments to the Armenian heroes from Nagorno-Karabakh, who contributed to the victory over Nazism.

During the aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 Azerbaijan executed 41 Armenian civilians in its custody, with the vivid elements of racist treatment. Even after the end of armed hostilities, following ceasefire Azerbaijan has continued to engage in the murder, torture and other abuse of the Armenian detainees, PoWs and hostages alike. The Human Rights Watch made several lengthy reports about those crimes committed by Azerbaijan.

The European Court of Human Rights found elements of ethnically motivated crimes in the killings of Armenian prisoners in the Azerbaijani custody.

In December of 2020, Azerbaijan began producing a commemorative stamp proudly depicting Nagorno-Karabakh being chemically “disinfected.” The stamp’s reference to ethnic cleansing was so blatant and egregious that the Universal Postal Union declined to register it, noting that it contradicted the provisions of the Union Convention and Code of Conduct.

I thank you.

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