The RA government approved the draft law “On Ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, signed on July 17, 1998, and Adopting a Statement on Retroactive Recognition of the International Criminal Court’s Jurisdiction by Article 12, Part 3 of the Statute.” RA Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan detailed that the purpose of the charter is to exclude the impunity of the persons who committed the most severe crimes mentioned in it, and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes, the establishment of an international criminal court supplementing the domestic criminal jurisdiction bodies.
It is stated in the justifications of the project: “In 2021, since May, the armed forces of Azerbaijan, carrying out military aggression against the Republic of Armenia, invaded the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and continue to remain in different parts of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Then, in 2022 on September 13-14, a new large-scale military aggression was carried out by the armed forces of Azerbaijan in the direction of different parts of the sovereign territory of the RA, which led to hundreds of victims among the armed forces and the civilian population, and during which the most serious war crimes were committed.
Moreover, judging by the behavior displayed by Azerbaijan and the belligerent statements made, the risk of new military aggression against Armenia by Azerbaijan remains high.
In these conditions, the early ratification of the ICC Statute by RA is essential because after the ratification of the Statute by RA, crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, including war crimes, will be subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC, which will be preventive and deterrent measure for Azerbaijan”.
Minasyan emphasized, “If there is a positive decision of the CC, we will involve the law enforcement system of the international criminal court so that the international courts can examine the criminal crimes committed in the sovereign territory of RA, regardless of whether the other party is a member of that treaty or not, they can be held accountable as a criminal.”.
