Armenia cannot stop ICC investigation of crimes against Armenians, says Ocampo

Armenia cannot stop the investigation of crimes committed against Armenians since May 2021, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said in his video posted on X.

Armenia has the right to withdraw cases from the International Criminal Court, but the prosecutor still has the right to investigate the crimes from the moment of the extension of jurisdiction, from May 10, 2021, and within one year after the withdrawal, he said.

He noted that Armenia cannot stop the investigation of the events of the last three to four years in Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Armenian authorities ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC a year ago, claiming that it would allow them to file lawsuits against Baku for aggression and war crimes, including the invasion of the Republic of Armenia in 2021-2022.