{"id":1059,"date":"2025-04-03T22:28:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T22:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/?p=1059"},"modified":"2025-04-09T22:09:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T22:09:22","slug":"human-rights-lawyer-says-trump-administration-poised-to-help-armenian-christian-pows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/?p=1059","title":{"rendered":"Human-rights lawyer says Trump administration poised to help Armenian Christian POWs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/author\/919\/madalaine-elhabbal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Madalaine Elhabbal<\/a><br>Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 3, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A renowned international human rights lawyer is urging the Trump administration to fulfill its campaign promise and intervene on behalf of Armenian Christians as a recently negotiated peace agreement with Azerbaijan threatens to leave prisoners stranded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"838\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The8-catholicnewsagency.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The8-catholicnewsagency.jpeg 838w, https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The8-catholicnewsagency-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The8-catholicnewsagency-768x508.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Human-rights lawyer Jared Genser is advocating on behalf of all Armenian prisoners of war and refugees of Nagorno-Karabakh and for true peace and stability between Armenia and Azerbaijan. | Credit: Free Armenian Prisoners campaign<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur request up front to the administration has been quite clear: [A] deal for the release of Armenian Christian POWs must be a precondition to [a peace deal] moving forward, which has been the position of the administration,\u201d Washington, D.C.-based international human rights lawyer&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/perseus-strategies.com\/team\/jared-genser-english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jared Genser<\/a>&nbsp;told CNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this month, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to the text of a peace agreement that would end nearly four decades of conflict between the embattled countries. Neither country has signed the compact, though Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on social media has expressed eagerness to do so, despite widespread disagreement over several of its reported stipulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once dubbed \u201cthe Extractor\u201d by the New York Times, Genser is known for his successful work in freeing wrongfully imprisoned people around the world. He is currently working to free&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/255496\/former-nagorno-karabakh-armenian-leader-arrested-as-over-50000-refugees-flee-region\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ruben Vardanyan, the former state minister<\/a>&nbsp;of the Nagorno-Karabakh region\u2019s ethnic Armenian separatist government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of Azerbaijan\u2019s nine-month blockade of the territory, Vardanyan was arrested while attempting to flee with his wife and has been detained in Baku ever since.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genser said that Vardanyan, a Christian belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church, has been denied access to a Bible, which he said \u201chas only reinforced that the persecution of him and other leaders from Nagorno-Karabakh is not exclusively because they were an alleged \u2018breakaway republic\u2019 but relates to the fact that he\u2019s a Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve also seen since the ethnic cleansing as well the burning to the ground of Armenian churches and other Armenian heritage sites,\u201d Genser added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vardanyan faces 42 separate charges and awaits trial before a military tribune, despite never having served in the military. Since being imprisoned, he has undergone two hunger strikes, according to Genser, with the latest strike lasting 23 days, during which he lost about 14 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Freedom for Armenian Christian POWs must come before any peace deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of his work in freeing Vardanyan, Genser said, is advocating on behalf of all Armenian prisoners of war and refugees of Nagorno-Karabakh and for true peace and stability between the two countries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you represent a high-profile political prisoner,\u201d Genser said, \u201cyour instructions are not to exclusively lobby for them because that really doesn\u2019t even work, even if you wanted to do that. Really, it\u2019s to look at the broader set of issues that are implicated and to work hard at addressing them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genser pointed out that President Donald Trump had campaigned on standing up for persecuted Armenian Christians, condemning what took place in Nagorno-Karabakh as \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d while on the campaign trail in October 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">( <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> &#8211; Truth Social Post )<br>( Donald J. Trump &#8211; Oct 23, 2024, 6:16 PM ET )<br><br>Kamala Harris did NOTHING as 120,000 Armenian Christians were horrifically persecuted and forcibly displaced in Artsakh. Christians around the World will not be safe if Kamala Harris is\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uXcqUT4t5F\">pic.twitter.com\/uXcqUT4t5F<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TruthTrumpPosts\/status\/1849225113645826158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 23, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Genser said release of the prisoners is \u201ca top priority for the new administration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have been told that their freedom needs to be a precondition for President Trump to ultimately bless a peace deal,\u201d Genser revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s a really important development because our biggest fear all along has been that if a peace deal were to proceed, and there was no resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh or of the Armenian Christian POWs, then unfortunately, it could lead to a sacrificing of those prisoners as a part of the peace deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither of these critical issues are contained in the current peace deal, nor are they on the bilateral agenda, according to Genser. However, he said there are many things the Trump administration can do to push for these ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genser declined to say what specific methods should be employed to apply pressure on Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for the POWs, though he encouraged the Trump administration to \u201cshock\u201d Azerbaijan\u2019s president, whom he described as a dictator.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt the end of the day,\u201d Genser said, \u201cdictators only release political prisoners when they have to. They never do it because they want to or because they\u2019re magnanimous or humanitarian by orientation.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe only way that happens is when the dictator sees the cost of detaining the political prisoner or political prisoners as being dramatically higher than the benefits of detaining them.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond the situation faced by Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan, Genser said there are \u201cmany issues outstanding in terms of the conditions of the peace deal as well that are worrying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chief among them are Aliyev\u2019s demands that Armenia cede the Lachin Corridor, giving him a pathway to lay a pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Armenia, and that Armenia remove a preamble in its constitution that lays a territorial claim on Nagorno-Karabakh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe problem with that is that one has never seen any peace deal in the world where a country gives up their sovereign land and cuts off part of their own population from the main part of the country, which is what this would do,\u201d Genser said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jamestown.org\/program\/azerbaijan-armenia-peace-deal-faces-hurdles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Jamestown Foundation pointed out in its analysis of the peace deal<\/a>, the Armenian government\u2019s messaging on this front has been mixed, with Pashinyan having in the past stated Azerbaijan\u2019s constitution contains territorial claims rather than the other way around, while also advocating as recently as March 13 for constitutional amendments that would have \u201cinherently regional significance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUnless Azerbaijan withdraws its long-standing demand that the Armenian Constitution be changed, it is unlikely to be signed before mid-2026 or even 2027,\u201d the article noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amid the dispute,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/oc-media.org\/yerevan-rejects-bakus-ceasefire-violation-accusations-claims-azerbaijan-has-fired-towards-armenia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of violating its ceasefire agreement<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 which Armenia denies \u2014 augmenting further tension between the countries as the fate of political prisoners hangs in the balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about the plight of Armenian Christian POWs, the State Department told CNA: \u201cWe continue to monitor the situation closely through our embassies in the region. All those detained should have their human rights respected and, if criminally charged, have all fair trial guarantees afforded to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genser said peace will not be possible until \u201call relevant issues and all relevant potential provocations have been identified, negotiated, and fully addressed as part of a peace deal itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA peace deal that leaves unresolved what the future is going to look like for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and the release of the Armenian Christian POWs is a recipe for future flare-ups, disagreements, and even potential war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Madalaine Elhabbal is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency based at EWTN\u2019s Washington, D.C., bureau. She has been published by CatholicVote and has also worked as foreign language assistant in France. She is a graduate of Benedictine College.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-medium-font-size\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/263151\/human-rights-lawyer-says-trump-administration-poised-to-help-armenian-christian-pows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CatholicNewsAgency<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By&nbsp;Madalaine ElhabbalWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 3, 2025 A renowned international human rights lawyer is urging the Trump administration to fulfill its campaign promise and intervene on behalf of Armenian Christians as a recently negotiated peace agreement with Azerbaijan threatens to leave prisoners stranded. \u201cOur request up front to the administration has been quite clear: [A] [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1059"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1063,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1059\/revisions\/1063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}