Lebanese lawyer: Recruiting children by Armenia against Azerbaijan is war crime

By Trend

Recruiting children by Armenia for hostilities against Azerbaijan is a war crime, a Lebanese expert on foreign policy and international law, board member of the International Association of Human Rights Defenders, Tareg Shandeb told Trend on Oct.26.

Shandeb noted that according to international humanitarian law, the use and recruitment of children and minors in conflicts and wars is a military crime.

He said that this act is punishable by international criminal law and is considered one of the most serious crimes against the world and the international community.

"The international community must oppose Armenia's violations of international humanitarian law. Political and military officials of Armenia, involved in these serious crimes, must be brought to justice," added the expert.

In 1899, the Hague Convention was adopted, consisting of 38 items, which explicitly prohibits the involvement of children under the age of 18 in armed conflicts. In 1907, another convention was adopted in the Netherlands’ Hague, addressing this issue.

In 1949, four conventions were adopted in Swiss Geneva, one of which is directly related to the protection of the rights of women and children. In 1979, these provisions were further refined. The Armenian side, involving children in hostilities, violates the requirements of international conventions and international humanitarian norms.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27.

Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.

The fighting continued into October 2020, in the early days of which Armenia has launched missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Khizi as well as Absheron district.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.