#FreeArmenianHostages: Michael Sukkar MP Sponsors Armenian Political Prisoner Bako Sahakyan
Sunday, 05 January 2025
CANBERRA: The Hon. Michael Sukkar MP – Federal Member for Deakin has written to Azerbaijan’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mr Vagif Jafarov, calling for the immediate release of Armenian political prisoner and former President of the Republic of Artsakh, Bako Sahakyan, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
In his letter, Sukkar advised the embassy of his intention to act as a sponsor for Mr Sahakyan and urged the Embassy to provide monthly updates on Mr Sahakyans’s physical and mental well-being.
Sukkar, who is one of the over 100 Australian Friends of Artsakh is now the second Australian elected official to sponsor an Armenian hostage illegally imprisoned by Azerbaijani authorities, since Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population living in the Republic of Artsakh in September 2023.
In his letter to Mr Jafarov, Sukkar said: “My decision to sponsor Mr Sahakyan comes in the wake of reports from the lawyers of Armenian political prisoners, in particular Jared Genser who wrote to the UN Special Rapporteur on torture detailing harrowing cases of inhumane treatment.”
Michael Kolokossian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, expressed the community’s deep gratitude to the Hon. Michael Sukkar MP for his commitment to act as a political sponsor for Mr Bako Sahakyan, underscoring the importance of such advocacy in the fight for justice.
“As the physical and mental well-being of Armenian political prisoners continues to deteriorate, we are intensifying our advocacy efforts to secure their release. Azerbaijan must understand that Australia, along with the international community, is closely monitoring the situation, and we call for the immediate release of all illegally detained individuals,” Kolokossian said.
A motion debated in the Australian Federal Parliament’s Federation Chamber on the 3rd of June 2024, championed by Paul Fletcher MP similarly called for pro-Armenian measures, including the release of all Armenian hostages. Read more about the motion here.
#FreeArmenianHostages: Paul Fletcher MP Sponsors Armenian Political Prisoner Davit Ishkhanyan
Sunday, 05 January 2025
CANBERRA: Paul Fletcher MP – Federal Member for Bradfield has penned a powerful letter to the Azerbaijani Embassy calling for the immediate release of Mr Davit Ishkhanyan, former Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh.
The letter, addressed to Mr Vagif Jafarov, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, calls on the Azerbaijani representative to provide monthly updates on Mr Ishkhanyan’s mental and physical health.
Mr Ishkhanyan is one of 23 Armenian Hostages known to be held captive by Azerbaijani forces since the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September 2023.
The letter reads: “I had the pleasure of personally meeting with Mr Ishkhanyan in our Federal Parliament alongside a dozen of my parliamentary colleagues back in 2019 and thus the conditions of his arrest and detention by the State Security Service of Azerbaijani are of particularly special concern to me.”
Mr Fletcher ended his letter with the following powerful remarks: “The world is watching Azerbaijan. Australia is watching Azerbaijan.”
Fletcher, who also serves as the Co-Chair of the Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Union in the Federal Parliament, championed a historic first-ever motion in Federal Parliament on the Republic of Artsakh calling for pro-Armenian measures, including the release of all Armenian Hostages. Read more about the motion here.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia has expressed its deep gratitude to Mr Fletcher for his powerful letter and commitment to the release of all Armenian Hostages.
NSW MPs Rise in Parliament Calling on Australians to Boycott COP29 in Azerbaijan
Wednesday, 13 November 2024
SYDNEY: Three members of the New South Wales Parliament have delivered powerful addresses on the floor of the Legislative Assembly to mark the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, whilst calling on Australian elected officials to boycott the upcoming global climate conference (COP29) in Baku Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
Private Member Statements were delivered by Tim James MP – Member for Willoughby – and Hugh McDermott MP – Member for Prospect, who both addressed the issue on 19 September 2024, following on from Matt Cross MP – Member for Davidson, who delivered his statement on 26 September 2024.
All three speakers, who are also members of the Australian Friends of Artsakh network, condemned Azerbaijan’s illegal invasion of the sovereign borders of Armenia, the desecration of Armenian religious and cultural heritage sites, the illegal imprisonment of Armenian hostages – including government officials from Artsakh and Azerbaijan’s failure to facilitate the right of return of Artsakh refugees under international guarantees. As a consequence of their actions, the speakers called on Australian parliamentarians to stay home amid the upcoming COP29 summit.
NSW Parliament Unanimously Condemns Forcible Displacement of Artsakh Armenians by Azerbaijan
Tuesday, 08 October 2024
SYDNEY: On Wednesday, 25 September at 5:30 pm, the NSW Legislative Council debated and unanimously adopted the Notice of Motion tabled by the Hon. Susan Carter MLC, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
The motion, tabled on Thursday, 19 September 2024, marked the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s over 100,000 Armenians and came up one week later for debate.
The NSW Government’s Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Mark Buttigieg MLC seconded the motion, whilst statements supporting the motion were also provided by the Hon. Cate Faehrmann (NSW Greens) and the Hon. Jacqui Munro MLC (NSW Liberals).
In addition to condemning the 24-hour military assault and forcible displacement of Armenians, the motion also called for several pro-Armenian motions. These included calling for Azerbaijan to “withdraw from the internationally recognised borders of Armenia”, “to release all Armenian political prisoners”, “cease the deliberate destruction of Christian and cultural heritage of Artsakh”, and allow the right of return of the Armenians of Artsakh.
Australian House of Representatives Has Spoken: Unanimous Debate Slams Azerbaijan Calling for Pro-Armenian Measures
Monday, 03 June 2024
CANBERRA: On Monday, 3rd June 2024, members from the Australian House of Representatives debated a historic first-ever motion on the Republic of Artsakh, and the MPs unanimously slammed Azerbaijan’s 24-hour military attack against Artsakh and called on Azerbaijan to implement several pro-Armenian measures, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
The motion, championed by Member for Bradfield and Co-Chair of the Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Hon. Paul Fletcher MP, was debated in the Australian Parliament’s Federation Chamber with four speakers, including Member for Bennelong Mr Jerome Laxale MP, Member for Beam Mr David Smith MP, and Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps. All speakers supported the motion.
All four speakers spoke in favour of the motion during the 20-minute debate, unequivocally calling out Azerbaijan’s 24-hour military assault and urging Azerbaijan to release all Armenian political prisoners, allow the right of return for Armenian refugees to Artsakh under international guarantees, to protect Armenian cultural heritage, and for Azerbaijan to withdraw from the sovereign borders of the Republic of Armenia.
NSW Parliamentary Friends of Armenia Demand Immediate Release of Armenian Political Prisoners
Tuesday, 09 April 2024
SYDNEY: In a bold message to Mr Vagif Jafarov, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Australia, the Co-Chairs of the New South Wales Parliamentary Friends of Armenia have called out Baku’s serious human rights violations and called for the immediate release of Artsakh authorities held captive by the petro-dictatorship, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
Tim James, the Member for Willoughby, and Hugh McDermott, the Member for Prospect, on behalf of their colleagues in the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Armenia, reaffirmed the prescribed recommendations by the Australian Government during Azerbaijan’s 2024 Universal Periodic Review.
These recommendations included an immediate investigation into the killings of Armenian POWs, an immediate investigation into the ill-treatment of Azerbaijani political prisoners, and to cease arbitrary arrests of those critical of the Azerbaijani government.
However, the members of the Australian Friends of Artsakh network went further. They said, “On behalf of our parliamentary colleagues, we unequivocally demand the immediate release of all Armenian prisoners of war, as well as civilians and former government officials of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), who remain indefinitely imprisoned by the Government of Azerbaijan.”
Dr McDermott and Mr James ended the letter to Azerbaijan’s Charge d’Affaires stating, “We are committed to repeatedly raising these issues should the Government of Azerbaijan fail to do so.”
ANC-AU Executive Director, Michael Kolokossian thanked Dr McDermott and Mr James for the letter on behalf of Armenian-Australian and said: “The Government authorities of the Republic of Artsakh are held in prisons across Baku indefinitely on fabricated charges. We especially appreciate these strong words when there is a vacuum of silence from our nation’s top leaders.”