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WORLD NEWS Thursday 10 augusT 2023

Armenians face genocide in Azerbaijan, former

International Criminal Court prosecutor warns

By Abby Sewell
Associated Press
KORNIDZOR, Armenia (AP)
— The former chief pros-
ecutor of the International
Criminal Court warned
that Azerbaijan is prepar-
ing genocide against eth-
nic Armenians in its Nago-
rno-Karabakh region and
called for the U.N. Security
Council to bring the matter
before the international tri-
bunal.
A report by Luis Moreno
Ocampo issued Tuesday
said Azerbaijan’s blockade
of the only road leading
from Armenia to Nago-
rno-Karabakh seriously im-
pedes food, medical sup-
plies and other essentials to
the region of about 120,000
people. Trucks with humanitarian aid for Artsakh parked in a road towards the separatist region of Nagorno-
“There is a reasonable ba- Karabakh, in Armenia, Friday, July 28, 2023.
sis to believe that a geno- (Hayk Manukyan/PHOTOLURE via AP)
cide is being committed,” group of Armenians will be trol of the surrounding terri- the report from Ocampo,
Ocampo’s report said, not- destroyed in a few weeks,” tory in a six-week war with who was the ICC’s first pros-
ing that a U.N. convention the report said. Armenia in 2020. A Russia- ecutor, saying it “contains
defines genocide as in- Nagorno-Karabakh is a re- brokered armistice that unsubstantiated allega-
cluding “deliberately inflict- gion within Azerbaijan that ended the war left the re- tions and accusations.”
ing on the group conditions came under the control gion’s capital, Stepanakert, “It is biased and distorts the
of life calculated to bring of ethnic Armenian forces connected to Armenia real situation on the ground
about its physical destruc- backed by the Armenian only by a road known as and represents serious fac-
tion.” “There are no crema- military in separatist fighting the Lachin Corridor, along tual, legal and substantive
tories and there are no ma- that ended in 1994. Arme- which Russian peacekeep- errors,” Hikmet Hajiyev,
chete attacks. Starvation nian forces also took con- ing forces were supposed an assistant to Azerbaijan
is the invisible genocide trol of substantial territory to ensure free movement. President Ilham Aliyev, told
weapon. Without immedi- around the region. A government representa- The Associated Press, on
ate dramatic change, this Azerbaijan regained con- tive in Azerbaijan dismissed Wednesday.q

Fire at French vacation home for adults with

disabilities leaves 11 dead

By Sylvie Corbet cape. Twelve people who intellectual disabilities,” ing to determine the cir-
Associated Press were staying on the ground were on a vacation spon- cumstances of the fire and
PARIS (AP) — A devastat- floor were able to evacu- sored by two specialized whether the building met
ing fire that raged through ate, she said. associations, she said. all the required safety stan-
a vacation home for adults The adults, who had “slight Investigations are ongo- dards, she said.
with disabilities in east- Authorities said one of the
ern France left 11 people survivors was sent to a hos-
dead Wednesday, mov- pital with serious injuries.
ing so quickly that people French Prime Minister Elisa-
on the upper floors had no beth Borne arrived at the
chance of escaping. scene on Wednesday after-
Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy noon. She said she wanted
prosecutor for Colmar, said to show the government’s
11 people who were sleep- support for the families of
ing on the upper floor and the victims and for the fire-
in a mezzanine area of the fighters and rescuers on
private accommodation in site. Lt. Col. Philippe Hau-
the Alsacian town of Wint- willer, who was leading the
zenheim, in eastern France, rescue work of firefighters,
were trapped by the fire, Fire rages at a vacation home in the town of Wintzenheim, north- said the fire likely started on
while five managed to es- eastern France, Wednesday Aug. 9, 2023. the home’s upper floor.q
(TNN/dpa via AP)