Rights group files complaint in Switzerland targeting SOCAR over Azerbaijan campaign

The Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) has issued a statement announcing that a formal complaint has been filed in Switzerland against SOCAR Trading SA for its role in financing Azerbaijan’s campaign against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the statement, on March 18, 2026, the Committee, established by the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament in December 2023, jointly with the Switzerland-Armenia Association, submitted an official complaint to the Swiss National Contact Point (SECO).

The complaint argues that SOCAR Trading violated international standards of responsible business conduct by providing financial support to a state responsible for the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Material Contribution” to Ethnic Cleansing

The submission was filed under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (2011 and 2023 editions), utilizing the “Specific Instance” procedure. The Swiss National Contact Point will now review the complaint and determine appropriate follow-up actions and possible remedies.

SOCAR Trading, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, serves as a key commercial and financial arm of the country’s oil sector and a major source of state revenue.

The complaint refers to Azerbaijan’s military offensive in September 2023, which resulted in the complete displacement of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively ending centuries of Armenian presence in the region.

Citing analyses by respected experts, including Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the submitting organizations argue that these events constitute ethnic cleansing and may amount to genocide.

The complaint further contends that through its financial and commercial activities, SOCAR Trading contributed to strengthening Azerbaijan’s economic capacity. As such, under OECD guidelines, the company had a clear obligation to conduct robust human rights due diligence and to address risks linked to its operations.

“The forced displacement of 150,000 Armenians from their homeland is one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the South Caucasus in recent decades,” said international lawyer Karnig Kerkonian, a member of the committee. “Companies that financially support a state responsible for such actions cannot ignore their obligations under international standards.”

Switzerland’s Role in Advancing Peace

At a press conference held in Geneva, the complainants also 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 Nagorno-Karabakh. To date, no such forum has taken place.

The committee and its partners reiterated their expectation that Swiss authorities will fulfill this mandate, which they believe could play a meaningful role in fostering a just and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Switzerland should take an active role in protecting indigenous peoples and upholding their right to self-determination, as guaranteed by the UN Charter,” said Sarkis Shahinian, Honorary President of the Switzerland-Armenia Association. “As a neutral state, Switzerland is well positioned to contribute constructively to resolving this decades-long conflict.”

“Lasting peace cannot be built on ethnic cleansing,” added Joel Veldkamp, Director for Public Advocacy at Christian Solidarity International in Zurich, who also spoke at the press conference. “Recent tensions involving Iran have further underscored the importance of long-term peace and stability in the strategically vital South Caucasus.”

Developments at the UN Human Rights Council

Meanwhile, two committee members are participating in the annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Speaking during plenary sessions through accredited NGOs, they have drawn attention to several urgent issues, including the continued detention of Armenian prisoners in Baku, Azerbaijan’s failure to comply with the International Court of Justice’s November 17, 2023 order requiring the safe return of displaced Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh and the ongoing destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.