Online Petition Launched to Remove Mehriban Aliyeva from UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Role

Prominent figures in the arts and sciences, both Armenian and foreign, have initiated an online petition to remove Azerbaijan's First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva from her role as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. This was reported by Canadian-Armenian actress Arsineh Khanjian on her Facebook page.

The petition is posted on Change.org and is accompanied by an open letter addressed to UNESCO's Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “We believe that Azerbaijan's First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, a representative of one of the most corrupt, brutal, and repressive regimes of our time, should not remain a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, as a politician who bears full responsibility for numerous human rights violations and for the promotion and implementation of state-sponsored anti-Armenian policies, as well as for the many war crimes committed against Armenians by the Azerbaijani leadership,” the letter states.

The authors of the open letter also reminded the Director-General of Aliyeva's statements, alongside those of Azerbaijan's President, that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved through military means, deeming 30 years of negotiations pointless.

The letter to UNESCO’s Director-General also mentions the targeting of spiritual and cultural centers, as well as civilian infrastructure in Shushi and Stepanakert by Azerbaijan, which has led to devastation and loss of life.

Among the signatories of the open letter are Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, SOAD frontman Serj Tankian, Canadian-Armenian actress Arsineh Khanjian, Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai, and several notable public and cultural figures, as well as leaders and professors from various educational institutions. The online petition has already gathered nearly 23,000 signatures.