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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 1 February 2023
Azerbaijan to U.N. court: Armenia must stop laying land mines

By MIKE CORDER jacent land occupied by
Associated Press Armenians. Russia sent a
THE HAGUE, Netherlands peacekeeping force of
(AP) — Azerbaijan ap- 2,000 troops to maintain or-
pealed Tuesday to the Unit- der.
ed Nations’ highest court Mammadov said that 282
to urgently order Armenia Azerbaijanis, including 33
to stop the laying of land civilians, have been killed
mines and booby traps on by mines since the war
Azerbaijani territory and dis- ended.
close the location of those “Armenia’s planting of land
already planted, in the lat- mines and booby traps in
est legal battle focused on or near areas where Azer-
the mountainous Nagorno- baijanis once lived — and
Karabakh region. are expected to return
Armenian representative — specifically to terror-
Yeghishe Kirakosyan reject- ize Azerbaijanis must be
ed the allegation, saying understood in the broad
his country only laid mines context of its over three
on its own territory as a de- decade long campaign of
fensive tactic to combat ethnic cleansing and anti-
Azerbaijani aggression. He Azerbaijani incitement,” he
called Azerbaijan’s land said.
mine claims “yet another Exterior view of the Peace Palace housing the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, or World Court, At hearings Monday, Ar-
transparent attempt to de- in The Hague, Netherlands, Jan. 30, 2023. Associated Press menian lawyers urged the
flect attention from its own court to order Azerbaijan to
wrongdoing.” He said the mines and conduct are clear Azerbai- a war in Nagorno-Karabakh break up a road blockade
Azerbaijani Deputy Minis- booby traps are a deliber- janis are not meant to.” that killed about 6,800 sol- that is isolating Nagorno-
ter for Foreign Affairs Elnur ate attempt by Armenia to The claim came in hearings diers and displaced around Karabakh, calling the ac-
Mammadov told judges prevent the return of Azer- at the court’s headquarters 90,000 civilians. The remote tion part of an act of “eth-
at the International Court baijanis forced from their in The Hague in a pair of and rugged region is within nic cleansing.”
of Justice that his country homes by the conflict. cases brought by Armenia Azerbaijan, but had been Azerbaijan rejected the
has discovered more than “If Azerbaijanis prepar- and Azerbaijan alleging under the control of ethnic claim, accusing Armenia of
2,700 Armenian land mines ing the liberated territo- breaches of a convention Armenian forces backed using the dispute to create
since December 2021, ries for the return of those preventing racial discrimi- by Armenia since the end leverage in peace talks.
when the court ordered displaced cannot do so nation. of a separatist war in 1994. The road, known as the
both Azerbaijan and Arme- safely, how can displaced The legal skirmishes are Russia brokered a cease- Lachin Corridor, is the only
nia not to take any action Azerbaijanis safely exercise playing out against a back- fire to end the 2020 war. It land connection between
that would aggravate their their right to return?” Mam- drop of rising tensions just granted Azerbaijan con- Armenia and the ethnic Ar-
decades-long territorial dis- madov said. “The purpose over two years after the trol over parts of Nagorno- menian Nagorno-Karabakh
pute. and effect of Armenia’s neighboring nations ended Karabakh as well as ad- region in Azerbaijan.q

Brazil’s Bolsonaro applies for 6-month

U.S. visitor visa

By DAVID BILLER out incident, but a week quires any trial be held at
Associated Press later thousands of Bolson- the Supreme Court.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — aro’s die-hard supporters It has been widely assumed
Former Brazilian President stormed the capital and though not confirmed that
Jair Bolsonaro has filed a trashed the top govern- Bolsonaro entered the U.S.
request for a six-month visi- ment buildings demand- on an A-1 visa reserved
tor visa to stay in the U.S., ing that Lula’s election be for sitting heads of state. If
indicating he may have no overturned. so, he would have 30 days
immediate intention of re- Bolsonaro is being investi- from the end of his presi-
turning home, where legal gated for whether he had dential term to either leave
issues await. any role in inciting that up- the U.S. or adjust his status
The application was first rising. It is just one of sev- with the Department of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro looks on after speaking from
reported by The Financial eral probes targeting the Homeland Security. his official residence the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov.
Times, citing Bolsonaro’s former president and that Meantime, the shape of his 1, 2022.
immigration lawyer, Felipe pose a legal headache political future and his po- Associated Press
Alexandre. Contacted by upon his eventual home- tential return to Brazil has
The Associated Press, the coming, and which could been a matter of rumor ing to lead the opposition, his supporters’ attitudes,”
lawyer’s firm, AG Immigra- strip him of his eligibility in and speculation. said Mario Sérgio Lima, a said Lima. “I don’t think the
tion, confirmed the report. future races or worse. Bolsonaro’s calculus ap- political analyst at Medley fact of him staying away is
Bolsonaro left Brazil for Flor- For the first time in his more pears to be to distance Advisors. enough.
ida on Dec. 30, two days than three-decade politi- himself from the radicals “He is giving it some time, The processes will con-
before the inauguration cal career as a lawmaker whose destruction in the staying away a bit from tinue, but maybe he thinks
of his leftist rival, Luiz Iná- then as president, he no capital could implicate the country at a moment he can at least avoid some
cio Lula da Silva. The cer- longer enjoys the special him in the short term, with when he can begin to suf- sort of revenge punish-
emony proceeded with- legal protection that re- the aim of some day return- fer legal consequences for ment.” q