BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Countries with a colonial past must apologize, Azerbaijani MP Nizami Safarov said, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.
Safarov made the announcement at an international conference on “Belgium’s colonial injustice and 101-year path to reparations.”
“It is my firm belief that countries with a colonial past that have committed crimes against humanity and genocide in the past must apologize. This is a legal issue,” the MP said.
Moreover, Safarov noted that colonialism is a complex issue with political, legal, economic, and socio-humanitarian aspects. According to him, one of the fundamental issues from a legal standpoint is the legal characterization of acts committed during the colonial period.
“Undoubtedly, the actions and crimes committed by certain states can be classified in only one way: as crimes against humanity,” he emphasized.
The lawmaker stated that the concept of crimes against humanity emerged in connection with the transatlantic slave trade, and this term was reflected in a number of articles published by American universities in the mid-19th century.
According to him, there are also important legal precedents for classifying crimes committed during the colonial period as crimes against humanity.
N. Safarov drew attention to the ruling of the Brussels Court of Appeals in this context. He noted that the court classified the separation of mixed-race children from their families, their relocation to other places, as well as their discrimination and segregation by the Belgian authorities during the colonial period as a crime against humanity.
“This is a very important symbolic ruling that holds great significance as a groundbreaking legal precedent,” the MP said.
Nizami Safarov also addressed the issue of the right of victims of colonialism to compensation. He recalled that the draft articles of the UN Commission on International Law on the Responsibility of States for Acts Contrary to International Law provide for compensation, restitution, and reparations.
According to the MP, since restitution implies restoring the previous situation, this is impossible in many cases involving acts committed during the colonial period. Therefore, the issues of damages and compensation are of particular importance.
He emphasized that satisfaction entails an apology from the state that committed the act contrary to international law, whereas compensation entails financial compensation for the damage caused.
