They say justice may falter, but it never truly dies. A sinister villain—whether an ordinary citizen or a head of state—must be held accountable for his actions and face the punishment he deserves. Impunity is as great an evil as the crime itself. Failing to punish a criminal is tantamount to inviting new crimes. This is an undeniable truth.
No wonder it is good news that on November 21, 2024, The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) announced its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. They are accused of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip during the period from October 8, 2023, to at least May 20, 2024—approximately seven and a half months. The ICC’s pre-trial chamber concluded that the defendants deliberately deprived Gaza’s civilian population of basic conditions for survival, including food, water, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and electricity.
The horrific scenario of "war crimes" in Gaza is all too familiar to Armenians, especially to our compatriots from Artsakh. Whatever the victims in Gaza tolerated, Artsakh Armenians suffered even more—enduring the devastating consequences of the nine-and-a-half-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor, along with additional atrocities committed by Ilham Aliyev and his brutal regime, fueled by their deep-seated hatred for Armenians.
From December 12, 2022, to September 20, 2023, under the guise of "environmental protection," Aliyev and his government orchestrated what can only be described as a campaign of "greenwashing genocide." First, they blocked the sole road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, subjecting more than 120,000 indigenous Armenians of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) to hunger, cold, and darkness. Then, on September 19, 2023, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist operation," Azerbaijan, armed to the teeth, launched a full-scale attack on an already exhausted Artsakh, whose indigenous population had endured months of siege. As a result, under the threat of renewed genocide and extinction, the local Armenian population was forced to flee their ancestral homeland, abandoning their thousand-year-old cultural and historical heritage, as well as all their possessions.
Now that a credible legal precedent exists, the Republic of Armenia—constitutionally the guarantor of the NKR’s security—has a duty to pursue justice in international courts. The forced depopulation of Artsakh and the gross violations of the rights of its people must be given impartial criminal assessment, and the alleged perpetrators must face the full extent of the law. However, preparing such a case requires significant effort and, above all, political will—something the incumbent Armenian government, unfortunately, seems to lack. Civil society must therefore take the initiative, and the people must become steadfast advocates for justice.
Nikol Pashinyan appears unwilling to open new cases against Azerbaijan for the war crimes it committed in Artsakh. Alarmingly, he even suggests withdrawing existing lawsuits filed in international courts which, by the way, seriously concern Aliyev. This was evident in his November 22 interview with Public Television of Armenia where he implied that he did not rule out that if a peace treaty were signed, Armenia might drop its claims against Azerbaijan, expecting Azerbaijan to do the same. “If Armenia sees that real peace is achieved and a peace agreement is signed, Armenia’s claims in international courts will be withdrawn,” he stated.
The ICC’s decision against Netanyahu and Galant has undoubtedly struck fear into Aliyev. What if his turn comes to face justice? The autocrat of Baku understands all too well that he lacks the global influence and connections of someone like Netanyahu. If even Netanyahu—an influential figure on the world stage—could not escape The Hague’s judgment, Aliyev will find it impossible to evade accountability for the atrocities committed against Artsakh and its people during the 44-day war and in the post-war period.