The Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide expresses deep concern over recent statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in which he compared Armenian political prisoners and prisoners of war to Nazi leaders convicted at the Nuremberg Trials.
The statement reads:
“In an interview with France 24 on February 13, Aliyev stated: ‘The crimes of the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh are more heinous than those committed by the Nazis during World War II.'” Aliyev then asserted that requests for the release of Armenian prisoners are akin to demanding that the Allies release Nazi officials before their trials begin.
This statement is particularly dangerous in the context of the Israeli-American war of aggression, which has elevated Azerbaijan to the position of a key ally during the war, granting President Aliyev greater impunity than he had enjoyed before.
Aliyev’s comparison doesn’t reflect historical reality, but distorts it.
Aliyev’s comments came just days after his meeting with US Vice President J.D. Vance, during which Vance raised the issue of the release of Armenian hostages still held by Baku.
Aliyev’s comments demonstrate his continued disrespect for the American leadership, whose petty requests on behalf of Armenians he regularly rejects.
His rhetoric is also a clear example of “mirroring,” a common tactic used by leaders accused of serious violations of international law. Although there is absolutely no credible evidence that any of the Armenians currently held by Baku have committed any crimes, let alone crimes against humanity or genocide (some of them are prisoners of war, whom Azerbaijan was supposed to return to Armenia in 2020), Aliyev and his government have been accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in Nagorno-Karabakh by authoritative observers and international legal experts, including the Lemkin Institute.
The Lemkin Institute considers Azerbaijani President Aliyev the leader of a genocidal state—a state whose institutions are imbued with genocidal ideology and whose policies are shaped by genocidal goals. President Aliyev has institutionalized genocidal Armenophobia in government bodies and public life. By 2023, he was frequently referring to Armenians in public speeches as “dogs,” “jackals,” “scoundrels,” and terrorists.
It turns out that in response to the international community’s approval of the invasion of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani president was forced to tone down his anti-Armenian rhetoric.
Now he is making false accusations against the Armenian hostages still under his control and justifying his illegal actions by comparing them to Nazi war criminals. The only “crime” committed by the Armenian representatives of the Artsakh government held in Baku is that they exercised their right to self-determination and attempted to protect the Armenian population, whose presence in Nagorno-Karabakh dates back four thousand years, from Azerbaijani aggression.
The Lemkin Institute calls on the Azerbaijani government to cease its inhumane, genocidal rhetoric against Armenians and immediately release all Armenian prisoners. Since President Aliyev himself has stated that he will not do so, the international community must pressure him to do so.