[Al Jazeera] ICC - Armenians Comparison to ‘Vermins’ is Taken out of context says Azerbaïdjan’s ex-president

On Sunday afternoon, Azerbaïdjan’s ex-president Aliyev was heard by the International Criminal Court not as a defendant, but as a witness in the trial surrounding the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

When questioned by the Prosecution, Aliyev confirmed that all actions of his military forces must go through him first, however he highlighted that this might not have always been the case factually. He insisted on having supported “all humanitarian effort in the region” and refused to answer when the prosecution asked why Azerbaïdjan refused to follow the ICJ’s orders to lift the blockade of the Lachin corridor under his mandate. Moreover, he affirmed that his controversial repeated statements referring to Armenians as “rats” and “vermins” were taken out of context.

As he was not appearing in front of the court as a defendant but as a witness, the risk for Aliyev was to incriminate himself due to his status as both a defendant and a witness during the trial, which may explain the numerous objections of the Defense Counsel regarding the questions of the Prosecution and the Victims Counsel, as well as Aliyev’s repeated refusals to answer questions. Azerbaïdjan’s ex-president concluded by saying he recognised “the sovereignty of Armenia as a state”.

After his appearance came former Armenian State MinisterRuber Vardanyan to testify on his 470 day long detention in an Azerbaïdjan prison, 340 of which were in solitary confinement. The Armenian politician explained having been detained without trial nor “valid reason”, and described consequences to his mental and physical well-being as a direct result of his prison sentence.

The court trial will resume on Monday, with a much awaited final decision expected at 13:00.