TODAY, in a statement at the UN Human Rights Council, Christian Solidarity International again called on the International Olympic Committee to exclude Azerbaijan’s national team and flag from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, with Azerbaijani athletes allowed to compete as neutrals. 

“Excluding Azerbaijan from the Olympics would send the correct message: the international world of sport will not condone and ignore egregious violations of human rights,” Joel Veldkamp, CSI’s UN representative, said in a statement at a panel discussion on human rights and the Olympic ideal. Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, was present.

Last year, Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave, after laying siege to it for nine months. The military operation resulted in the expulsion of Nagorno Karabakh’s entire population of almost 100,000 to Armenia, which accuses Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing.