Justice for the Victims in Karabakh
By: Robin Fontaine
Tags: War, Europe, Armenia, Foreign Policy

Justice for the Victims in Karabakh

News broke down that four Azeri soldiers were arrested after committing war crimes during the recent war. The accused perpetrators brutalised their victims and went on to vandalise graves and deface the corpses of the fallen. Almost a month after the ceasefire was signed, horrifying videos surfaced on social media, depicting the gruesome executions-by-beheading of two elderly men.

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After the Russian-negotiated ceasefire was signed, an avalanche of videos resurfaced, all capturing the horrendous mistreatment of civilians and soldiers alike. However, it is important to remember that these soldiers were not arrested after legal inquiries or truth-seeking work. Instead, they were caught red-handed on social media. The clips of their transgressions have been reposted all over the internet, and even on Volt’s end, we found the horrific footage linked under several statements we’d posted on the conflict in Karabakh. It is likely that what granted this atrocity its infamy — and what got the perpetrators arrested — was not that these acts were unique for the war, but rather that they went viral on social media.

War crimes do not happen in a vacuum, and they are rarely isolated incidents, so now that the power of social media has revealed what is likely just a part of the depraved acts of violence that took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, the international system must do its duty to the victims and to those who mourn.

It is all but certain that we will continue to stumble upon these awful truths in the next months and we must ensure that those guilty of these indefensible acts are sentenced. To that end, we urgently need an large-scale independent investigation into what has taken place during the autumn of 2020. This investigation must be internationally led, and must not be a front for the regional powers that both fanned the flame of conflict, and reaped the benefits of the hastily drawn-up peace.

THE FUTURE ROLE OF EUROPE

This tragedy gives reason to pause and reflect on what can only be described as Europe’s total failure in the region. While policy experts saw the writing on the wall and predicted Europe’s marginal impact from the get-go, it would not have had to end that way. Had Europe been on top of things, Brussels could have launched a special mediation mission to the region, and worked to stabilise things when the conflict was at its most volatile point.

Instead, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh got empty words and silence. When Russia and Turkey divvied up the spoils, what recognition was offered to the plight of the civilians whose mountains had been set ablaze in the name of Russia’s cynical geopolitics and Turkey’s grandiose ambitions of imperialism reborn? Europe didn’t bother to throw its soft power behind those who needed it the most, and now the message is clear: President von der Leyen’s “geopolitical commission” is foundationally shambolic.

This disaster does not absolve the EU from its duty to step in and be a reliable partner in the region, but instead underpins the need for a rethought European presence. Now, more than ever, the EU must double down on preventing Armenia from backsliding further into authoritarianism. Brussels must actively support Armenia’s path to democracy, staying by Yerevan’s side along that bumpy road. Already in the current neighbourhood policy of the EU, does the EU allege that it supports Armenia’s democratic governance, and that Europe nurtures the development of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

SHOW, DON’T TELL

By all standards, Europe could be a diplomatic powerhouse, but how can we assert ourselves at the global negotiating table when we fail to act against war crimes and crimes against humanity in our direct neighbourhood? European leaders talk a big game about Europe’s international role, and now they must put their money where their mouths are.

High Representative Josep Borrell said that “the European Union remains committed to respect, protect and fulfil human rights for all” and that Europe is “the strongest supporter of multilateralism with human rights at its core”. Admittedly, it is a good story. Now, Europe must prove that it means business.

The new Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) approved by the European parliament includes a €2.4 billion envelope provided for Common Foreign and Security Policy. This package must not be a number thrown around to show how much Europe cares, but strategically used means to genuinely good ends. Otherwise, our international role — just like the High Representative’s quotes — will remain an exaggeration, bordering on the fictitious.

Currently, the EU stands ready to be allowed to participate in and contribute to the shaping of a durable settlement of the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Its efforts were still limited to financial contributions to humanitarian funding for a total of €3.9 million. Although, for a comprehensive settlements of conflicts, the EU must look beyond its usual financial contribution and start using diplomatic pressure to sit at the negotiations table. The OSCE Minsk Group is doing a terrific job, although we should not let EU neighborhood be defined solely by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States.

On the topic of fiction and telling stories, one of the most important rules of writing a good novel is show, don’t tell, which is exactly what the EU must do. Brussels has to take its geopolitical ambitions out of theoretical dreamlands, and use Europe’s power smartly, to actually have impact beyond trying to enthuse a lukewarm crowd of Euroquarter think-tanks. While in Brussels, leaders have the luxury of musing on Europe’s role, without getting out of their comfort zone, Europe’s absence is felt keenly around the world, and the void we leave is filled by other actors, whose endgames might range far from ours.

Co-Authored:

Joel Boehme, Board Member — Volt Europa

joel.boehme@volteuropa.org

Robin Fontaine, Communications — Volt Europa robin.fontaine@volteuropa.org