[New York Times] ICC- Opening arguments for the destruction of property after Azerbaijani defense minister takes the stand

On May 3rd 2025 the ICC brought a Azerbaijani Defense minister to the witness stand during the ongoing trial of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev concerning war crimes against ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

The prosecution, victims council, and defence also presented their opening arguments for the allegations against destruction of property.  

Concerning the defense minister, the prosecution questioned the witness on the chain of command within the Azerbaijani army, whether the ministry of defence was made aware of soldiers acting unlawfully, and if any accountability was taken for the actions of rouge soldiers.

The Victims Council also questioned the minister on claims of over 500 reports from Armenian victims and the rhetoric from Aliyev of “teaching them a lesson they will never forget.” 

The witness responded to these claims saying that the ministry acted accordingly when notice was made of such claims and dismissed the significance of such diction. 

Throughout the questioning from the Prosecution and the Victim Council, the witness continued to refer to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the territory and did not believe Aliyev was to be held responsible for the crimes committed by individual Azerbaijani soldiers. 

After the witness left the stand, the next proceedings moved onto the destruction of property. The Prosecution claims that the destruction in the Nagorno-Karabakh region was a deliberate attack strategy against the Armenian people. The Prosecution points to the destruction of non-militarized buildings such as hospitals and cultural centers as further evidence of Azerbaijani aggression. 

The defence however refutes these claims by emphasizing the fact that these attacks occurred during an armed conflict, and also mentioned the dual military usage of these buildings. 

In an official statement to the press, the office of the prosecution wishes that the judges of the ICC come to the conclusion that Illham Aliyev is guilty of all counts of the three charges so that the victims find the justice and the truth that they need to go on from this horrible, horrible event.” 

Further updates are to be reported on later in the trial.