Armenia vs Azerbaijan: Armenia Requests ICJ Provisional Measures

04-01-2023

Alice Versini-O’Donnell 

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

On December 29th, 2022, Armenia filed a request at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the indication of provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan). 

Armenia stated in the request that “[o]n 12 December 2022, Azerbaijan orchestrated a blockade of the only road connecting the 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh with the outside world, thereby preventing anyone and anything from entering or exiting”. It requested the ICJ to indicate provisional measures ordering Azerbaijan to “cease its orchestration and support of the alleged ‘protests’ blocking uninterrupted free movement along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”, and to “ensure uninterrupted free movement of all persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”. [1] 

Armenia instituted proceedings against Azerbaijan before the ICJ on September 16th, 2021 for alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), contending that “[f]or decades, Azerbaijan has subjected Armenians to racial discrimination” and that, “[a]s a result of this State-sponsored policy of Armenian hatred, Armenians have been subjected to systemic discrimination, mass killings, torture and other abuse”. Armenia claimed that “[t]hese practices once again came to the fore in September 2020, after Azerbaijan’s aggression against the Republic of Artsakh and Armenia” and that“[e]ven after the end of hostilities”, “Azerbaijan has continued to engage in the murder, torture and other abuse of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons”. [2]

Notes: 

[1] International Court of Justice Press Release, ‘Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), The Republic of Armenia requests the Court to indicate provisional measures’ (19 December 2022) 2022/76. 

[2] International Court of Justice Press Release, ‘The Republic of Armenia institutes proceedings against the Republic of Azerbaijan and requests the Court to indicate provisional measures’ (16 September 2021) 2021/20. 

Sources and further reading: 

Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), Case Background <Press releases | Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan) | International Court of Justice (icj-cij.org)> (accessed 04/01/2023).