Public hearing in the Court of Justice: Azerbaijan v. Armenia / Armenia v. Azerbaijan

The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Azerbaijan v. Armenia) on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 October 2021, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.

The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the hearings will be held in a hybrid format. Some Members of the Court will attend the oral proceedings in person in the Great Hall of Justice while others will participate remotely by video link. Representatives of the Parties to the case will participate either in person or by video link.

Members of the diplomatic corps, the media and the public will be able to follow the hearings through a live webcast on the Court’s website, as well as on UN Web TV, the United Nations online television channel.

The hearings will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in English and French on the Court’s website, as well as on UN Web TV.

Azerbaijan requested “immediately cease and desist from any and all policies and practices of ethnic cleansing that have been directed against Azerbaijanis”; “immediately cooperate with de-mining operations by Azerbaijan and international agencies in the formerly Occupied Territories, including through the provision of comprehensive and accurate maps and other information on the location of minefields”; “make full reparation to Azerbaijan, including compensation in an amount to be determined in a later phase in these proceedings, for the harm suffered as a result of Armenia’s actions”.

Before that, on October 14-15, the court will consider a similar claim of Armenia against Azerbaijan, according to the official website of the court. Yerevan’s statement provides examples of “racist and hateful statements of Azerbaijani officials against Armenians”, actions of militaries committed during and after the war. The lawsuit also contains a demand “for the return of all Armenian prisoners”.