News - Luis Moreno Ocampo: A lot depends also on how much the Armenians will want to fight

A number of representatives of the civil society of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) had a videoconference meeting with Professor Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The meeting discussed the legal and political tools that are available to fight for the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, Aparaj writes. In this connection, Professor Ocampo particularly highlighted the role of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as an important legal tool in the legal protection of stateless peoples. Also, Ocampo noted that the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide had stated that there is a risk of genocide in Artsakh, and this already implies the obligation of the international community to act. In this context, it will also be very important that we raise the matter of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan in the context of the upcoming UN Climate Change conference in Azerbaijan and show that the latter keeps innocent people captive in its prisons. It was also discussed at the meeting that the world has recognized the Armenian Genocide of 1915, but it did not have any end results. Ocampo said the world is very different now; at that time there was no UN criminal court, there were no social media, Armenian diaspora, etc. And a lot depends also on how much the Armenians will want to fight. Also, Ocampo said that no matter how much Azerbaijan claims otherwise, the Armenians of Artsakh are the owners of the land, and everything will depend on how ready we are to fight. He advised the Armenians of Artsakh to be more active in protecting their rights.