Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy against Azerbaijanis highlighted at UN for first time

The issue of Armenia's policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis has been raised at a United Nations platform for the first time, the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) told Report.

An international conference titled "The Right of Return and Decolonization: Restoring Delayed Historical Justice" was held at UN Headquarters in New York as part of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The event brought together more than 50 representatives from 16 countries, including recognized experts in refugee and minority rights, specialists on the right of return, representatives of diaspora organizations and affected communities that have experienced violence, discrimination, and persecution based on ethnic identity, as well as UN experts.

Discussions focused on ensuring the return of Azerbaijanis who, according to the organizers, were subjected to ethnic cleansing in the territory of present-day Armenia, taking the necessary legal steps to restore historical justice, and maintaining international attention on the issue.

Participants also examined ways to implement the return process in a safe and dignified manner under international supervision, including the introduction of guarantee mechanisms, the conclusion of a legally binding international agreement, and the establishment of international monitoring.

During the conference, a short documentary was screened depicting Armenia's ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis and acts of vandalism against cultural and religious monuments.

Speakers included former Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD), Ambassador June Soomer, Chief Legal Counsel of the International Sikh Federation, Prabjot Singh Wirring, international governance expert Carlyle Corbin, and representatives of non-self-governing territories. They stated that they recognize the right of return of Azerbaijanis and called on international organizations to pay greater attention to the issue.

Participants also held a demonstration protesting the deliberate destruction, appropriation, and alteration of historical, cultural, and religious monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis in the territory of present-day Armenia.

At the conclusion of the event, an appeal was adopted calling on the UN leadership to appoint a special rapporteur on the matter.

The organizers noted that cultural, religious, and historical heritage belonging to the Azerbaijani people in present-day Armenia, including place names, mosques, cemeteries, shrines, and other monuments, had been systematically destroyed, desecrated, or appropriated. They also stated that the fundamental right of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis displaced from their historical lands to return safely and with dignity has yet to be realized.

According to the conference participants, this situation is inconsistent with international legal norms. They argued that international legal instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, as well as precedents such as Annex 7 of the Dayton Agreement, provide a normative and practical basis for implementing the right of return.

Baku Initiative Group at the UNGA again.
Topic: “Right of Return and Decolonization: Restoration of Delayed Historical Justice”@UN#BakuInitiativeGroup #UNGA #RightOfReturn #Decolonization #HistoricalJustice pic.twitter.com/ZA9IiRnWsL

— Baku Initiative Group (@bakuinitiative) September 28, 2026

June Christine Marie SOOMER:
Reparations must be adequate, effective, and prompt, and proportionate to the gravity of the violations and the harm suffered.

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Wirring Prabjot Singh:
The right of return is not only about crossing physical borders. It is about ensuring that… pic.twitter.com/x2ZDl8ZuXG

— Baku Initiative Group (@bakuinitiative) September 28, 2026

The conference concluded with a peaceful public demonstration by participants.#RightOfReturn #Reparations #decolonization #HistoricalJustice #humanrights pic.twitter.com/RGcrZwP9Ub

— Baku Initiative Group (@bakuinitiative) September 28, 2026