WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Gary Peters (D-MI) urged the U.S. Department of State to prioritize the release of Armenian political leaders currently being held illegally by Azerbaijan as prisoners, including as a condition of any peace deal reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan, which the United States is helping to facilitate. The letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken also calls on Secretary Blinken to advocate for the right of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians to return to their homes under international guarantees, as well as to impose sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the human rights violations perpetrated by Azerbaijan during its attack on the region in September 2023.
“In late September and early October, current and former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh’s government were detained, such as Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister; former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; Davit Babayan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Davit Ishkhanyan, former Speaker of the Parliament, among others. Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev indicated that this was just the beginning, as criminal investigations had been opened against a total of 300 former Nagorno-Karabakh officials,” wrote the senators.
“Denying their freedom and ability to participate in the peace process means that peace is being negotiated without the voice or perspective of those with key knowledge of those affected by Azerbaijan’s atrocities… Requiring the release of political prisoners and prisoners of war is a critical step to achieving a sustainable peace,” continued the senators.
After a nine-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor that prevented food, aid, medicine, and other critical goods from reaching Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military attack against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians and caused over 100,000 ethnic Armenians in the region to flee for fear of further persecution and violence. Azerbaijan claimed the territory, declared the dissolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh government, and arrested and imprisoned the former government’s political leaders.
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Secretary Blinken,
We are writing to express our concern regarding the peace negotiations currently underway between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s military assault on Nagorno- Karabakh in September 2023. Specifically, we are concerned that key political leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh are currently held illegally as political prisoners by Azerbaijan and their release may not be part of any peace agreement.
Forcefully removing and detaining the political leadership of an ethnic group is a well-known tactic of those committing ethnic cleansing. Denying their freedom and ability to participate in the peace process means that peace is being negotiated without the voice or perspective of those with key knowledge of those affected by Azerbaijan’s atrocities.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh in clear violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan had already caused a “dire humanitarian situation” in the region through its nine-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which prevented food, medicine, and other essential goods from reaching Nagorno-Karabakh. Within a matter of weeks, some 120,000 people – almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh – were forced to flee. The European Parliament and other experts have described Azerbaijan’s actions as ethnic cleansing.
While most of those forcibly displaced were allowed to cross the border into Armenia, there were several notable exceptions. In late September and early October, current and former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh’s government were detained, such as Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister; former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; Davit Babayan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Davit Ishkhanyan, former Speaker of the Parliament, among others. Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev indicated that this was just the beginning, as criminal investigations had been opened against a total of 300 former Nagorno-Karabakh officials.
Requiring the release of political prisoners and prisoners of war is a critical step to achieving a sustainable peace. Yet, to date, Azerbaijan has incurred few costs from the international community for their continued detention, much less for the brutal ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Instead, it has been awarded the privilege of hosting the next COP29 meeting, just months after its ethnic cleansing campaign and continued detention of these political prisoners.
We therefore urge you to insist in your interactions with the Governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia that the release of the political prisoners must be a prerequisite to, or at least a condition of, any peace deal reached. Given the serious human rights violations perpetrated by Azerbaijan, we further urge you to label what took place in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 as an ethnic cleansing and advocate for the right of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians to return to their homes under international guarantees. The United States should also urgently impose sanctions against those responsible.
Thank you for your attention to these important issues.
Background
In February 2024, Cassidy and Markey introduced a resolution to require that the U.S. Secretary of State provide a report on Azerbaijan’s human rights practices, including concerning allegations of human rights violations committed against ethnic Armenians, such as unlawful killings, torture, restrictions on freedom of movement, the illegal detention of political prisoners, and ethnic cleansing.
In response to Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia, Cassidy also sponsored several bills and letters in Fall 2023, including:
- Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act: The legislation responds to the actions of the Government of Azerbaijan by providing humanitarian assistance to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, preventing additional security assistance from going to the Government of Azerbaijan, and calling for additional accountability for alleged atrocities committed against Armenians.
- The Armenian Protection Act: To prevent the U.S. from providing security assistance to Azerbaijan, currently allowed under a waiver to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, until it has been determined that they are not taking offensive action against the Armenians.
- Bipartisan, bicameral letter to the Departments of State and Treasury: to call for sanctions on individuals in the government of Azerbaijan who are associated with the military attacks against and brutal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Joint statement: calling on the Biden administration to take urgent steps to deter any Azerbaijani military action against Armenia.
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