HITIK LAW X CENTER FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE
Advocacy for Artsakh victims of grave human rights violations in the United Nations
The CFTJ enlisted local law students in Armenia to collect first-hand testimonial evidence from war survivors via in-depth, recorded interviews. The US-based lawyers trained 100 Armenia-based law students and lawyers to carry out this task. As a result of this Diaspora-Homeland synergy, CFTJ managed to collect the recorded testimonies of numerous soldiers, former POWs, private citizens who lost loved ones, homes, or property, and other eyewitnesses.
In August 2022, the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which is tasked with monitoring implementation of the treaty, conducted its periodic review of Azerbaijan. As part of the review process, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations, such as nonprofits and human rights organizations) are invited to submit reports to CERD. One of the NGOs that was granted the right to do this was CTFJ.
Since none of CTFJ’s members specialize in international law, they sought the assistance of Talin Hitik, an active member of the Armenian community who has specialized experience in the area, who advised CTFJ on matters of international law. T. Hitik started talking advising about how to use the evidence, what types of cases could be files, etc.
In August 2022, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva gave the CFTJ and other non-governmental organizations a chance to make their case for Azerbaijan’s violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which both Azerbaijan and Armenia are a party to. This hearing could have a huge effect on the outcome of the pending Armenia v. Azerbaijan case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the first ICJ case in history of which Armenia is a party.
Talin Hitik’s Speech to CERD