MEP Vytenis Andriukaitis calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan for war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh

Member of the European Parliament Vytenis Andriukaitis from Lithuania has called for sanctions against Azerbaijan for its ethnic cleansing and war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Nagorno-Karabakh has been subjected to ethnic cleansing as a result of Azerbaijan’s war crimes,” he said at European Parliament debates of the motion for a resolution on “Unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan.”

The resolution, which will be put up to vote on March 13, calls for the unconditional release and safe return of all the prisoners of war, hostages and other detained individuals unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan, strongly condemns the shams trials brought against them in violations of due process, and calls for a ban on entry to the EU institutions for Azerbaijani officials responsible for unlawful detentions and human rights violations, among others.

“Azerbaijan has perpetrated ethnic cleansing, and it is a war crime,” Vytenis Andriukaitis said.

The MEP said Azerbaijan must be subjected to sanctions for its failure to comply with its international obligations.

“There is the universal declaration of human rights and other international legal obligations, thus Azerbaijan must be subjected to sanctions for failure to fulfill them,” the MEP said.

Vytenis Andriukaitis said that the Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan are held in appalling conditions threatening their health. 

“We must make all possible efforts to find a solution. The political prisoners must be released as soon as possible. Azerbaijan doesn’t want to end this conflict and doesn’t want to respond to the international community’s demands,” he added.