Permanent Representative of Armenia: Ethnic cleansing of Armenians  from Nagorno-Karabakh demonstrated utter disregard towards universal  human rights

ArmInfo. "As we mark the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Armenia stands in solidarity  with the international community in reaffirming our collective  responsibility to combat discrimination and build societies rooted in  equality, justice and respect for human dignity."  Permanent  Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan  stated this at  the commemorative meeting of the International Day for the  Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

As reported by the press service of the Permanent Mission of Armenia  to the UN, Margaryan pointed out that Armenia continues to implement  and develop national strategies and action plans aimed at addressing  discrimination, hate speech and intolerance. The diplomat emphasized  Armenia's steadfast commitment to upholding these principles. "Our  efforts are guided by the belief that a society built on equality and  non- discrimination is essential for sustainable peace and democracy,  even in the face of the unprecedented rise of challenges that have  been testing the resilience of our societies and institutions.  The  ethnic cleansing of more than 115,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh  in 2023 demonstrated have demonstrated  the utter disregard towards  international humanitarian and human rights law, including the  provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial  Discrimination," Margaryan noted.

According to him, the violation of the CERD provisions has been  further intensified by systematic online and offline hate campaigns  aimed at dehumanizing ethnic Armenians. "Beyond  rhetoric, this has  translated into real -world persecution, including the ill-treatment,  unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian prisoners of war and  other detainees in Azerbaijan, where fabricated charges serve as  tools of intimidation and collective punishment," the Armenian  diplomat added.

At the same time, he stressed that Armenia remains committed to  combating all forms of discrimination and xenophobia, including those  that manifest through digital platforms and state-sponsored rhetoric.  "In the fight against hate speech, Armenia's new Criminal Code  includes provisions criminalizing incitement to hatred based on  ethnicity, religion or other protected characteristics. Additionally,  the Audiovisual media Law, which came into force in 2020, mandates  the prohibition of discriminatory content in media broadcasts,  ensuring that public discourse remains free from racist or xenophobic  narratives. Armenia has consistently demonstrated its commitment to  strengthening the international human rights framework by ratifying  key treaties and adopting progressive legal reforms. In recent years,  Armenia has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the  Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Optional Protocol to the  Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure,  and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on  Civil and Political Rights," he said.

According to Margaryan, despite significant progress, Armenia  recognizes that the fight against racial discrimination is an ongoing  process. "We are committed to strengthening cooperation to promote  intercultural dialogue and regional stability, particularly in the  face of rising xenophobia and intolerance," the diplomat concluded.