A complaint was filed in Switzerland on March 18 against SOCAR Trading, the Swiss-based subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state oil company, accusing it of helping finance Azerbaijan’s campaign against the Armenian population of Artsakh and raising allegations tied to the September 2023 offensive that forcibly displaced nearly the region’s entire Armenian population.
The complaint was submitted by the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Artsakh, established by the Artsakh Parliament in December 2023, together with the Switzerland-Armenia Association. It was filed under the 2011 and 2023 OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which set standards for responsible business conduct. Switzerland’s National Contact Point will now review the complaint and determine possible next steps and legal remedies.
Following Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive and subsequent occupation of Artsakh on September 19, 2023, the ethnic Armenian enclave was formally dissolved on January 1, 2024. Faced with the prospect of rule by Azerbaijan, around 100,000 people, nearly the entire population of Artsakh, fled to Armenia within the span of a single week.
According to the filing, SOCAR Trading contributed financially to a state accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing against the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh.
The complaint argues that through its financial and commercial activities, the company supported Azerbaijan’s state revenues and therefore had a responsibility to conduct human rights due diligence and address risks linked to its operations.
Citing analyses by several authorities, including Luis Moreno Ocampo, the complainants state that Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive, which led to the forced displacement of the region’s entire Armenian population, constituted ethnic cleansing and may amount to genocide.
“The forced displacement of around 150,000 Armenians from their homeland constitutes one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the South Caucasus in recent decades,” said Karnig Kerkonian, an international lawyer and member of the Committee. “Companies that financially support the state responsible cannot ignore their obligations under international standards.”
Swiss Mandate for Peace in Artsakh
During a press conference in Geneva, the complainants recalled that one year ago both chambers of the Swiss Federal Assembly adopted a motion instructing the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs to organize a peace forum between Azerbaijan and representatives of the people of Artsakh. A year later, such a forum has not yet been convened.
The Committee and its partners expressed hope that Swiss authorities will implement the parliamentary mandate, which they believe could contribute to building a just and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Switzerland should actively engage in protecting indigenous peoples and ensuring their right to self-determination as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter,” said Sarkis Shahinian, honorary president of the Switzerland-Armenia Association.
“A lasting peace cannot be built on ethnic cleansing,” said Joel Veldkamp of Christian Solidarity International, who also warned that the new conflict involving Iran highlights the urgency of long-term peace and security in the strategically vital South Caucasus.
Actions at the United Nations Human Rights Council
At the same time, two members of the Committee are participating in the annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Speaking through accredited non-governmental organizations, they drew attention to several issues, including the continued detention of Armenian prisoners in Baku, Azerbaijan’s refusal to comply with the International Court of Justice ruling of November 17, 2023, calling for the safe return of Artsakh Armenians, and the ongoing destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the region.
