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April 5, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n WASHINGTON, DC \u2013<\/strong> In a letter<\/strong><\/a> to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Gary Peters (D-MI) called on the Biden Administration to prioritize the release of Armenian prisoners of war and Artsakh\u2019s political leadership illegally detained by Azerbaijan as a precondition for negotiations, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Biden-Harris Administration\u2019s failure to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocide of Artsakh, occupation of Armenian territory, and ongoing detention of Armenian prisoners and political leaders has not only undermined efforts to ensure a durable and just peace, but also emboldened Azerbaijan\u2019s escalating threats of renewed aggression,\u201d said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. \u201cWe thank Senators Markey, Cassidy, Tillis, and Peters for pressing the Administration to hold Azerbaijan accountable and ensure that any negotiated settlement upholds the fundamental rights of Artsakh\u2019s Armenians to live in peace and security in their indigenous homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The letter, which calls for the State Department to label what took place in Nagorno-Karabakh as an act of ethnic cleansing, highlighted the need to ensure the Biden Administration forcefully advocates for the right of Armenians to return to their homes under international guarantees. While the Biden Administration has formally affirmed the right of return in several public statements, it has undertaken no tangible action to guarantee the safe and secure conditions required to ensure Armenians would be free from persecution and subjugation should they be allowed to return to their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commenting on the status of peace talks, the Senators noted that Azerbaijan\u2019s efforts to decapitate the political leadership of Artsakh was a \u201cwell-known tactic of those committing ethnic cleansing.\u201d They expressed concerns over \u201cdenying their freedom and ability to participate in the peace process.\u201d Specifically, the letter highlights the ongoing illegal detention of the current and former leaders of Artsakh, including former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, and former Speaker of the Parliament Davit Ishkhanyan, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noting that Azerbaijan has \u201cincurred few costs from the international community for their continued detention,\u201d the Senators concluded their letter by urging the Administration to \u201cinsist in your interactions with the Governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia that the release of prisoners must be a prerequisite to, or at least a condition of, any peace deal reached,\u201d as well as to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for gross human rights violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senators Markey and Cassidy have recently led efforts in the U.S. Senate to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its ethnic cleansing of Artsakh through the introduction of S.Res.540<\/strong><\/a>, which would require the State Department to provide a report on Azerbaijan\u2019s human rights violations pursuant to Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act. This powerful, privileged resolution would force the Administration to reassess its security assistance to Azerbaijan and open a legislative pathway to restoring Congressional oversight over U.S. military assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Tillis also recently highlighted Azerbaijan\u2019s egregious human rights record with the introduction of a resolution (S.Res.616<\/strong>) calling for the release of Azerbaijani opposition activist and academic Gubad Ibadoglu, who has been illegally detained by Azerbaijan since July 2023 and faces abuse and the denial of medical care in detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n