April 11, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n WASHINGTON, DC \u2013<\/strong> Thirty-six U.S. Representatives \u2013 led by Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) \u2013 have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for grave human rights abuses against Armenians, including the illegal detention, abuse, and sham trials of Armenian prisoners of war and former Artsakh leaders. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed this bipartisan Congressional letter as a bipartisan step toward accountability and justice for the Armenian people of Artsakh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis bipartisan letter\u2014led by Representatives Dina Titus and Chris Smith\u2014sends a powerful message that America must stand on the side of justice and accountability,\u201d stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. \u201cWe thank all the Members of Congress who signed this letter for demanding immediate Magnitsky sanctions against Azerbaijani officials involved in war crimes and the unlawful detention of Armenian political leaders and POWs. Durable peace in the region requires the release of all illegally detained Armenians, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian territory, and, of course, support for the right of Artsakh Armenians to collectively return to their ancestral homes with dignity and security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bipartisan letter urges the State Department to \u201cimmediately exercise your authority to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on Azerbaijani officials responsible for the perpetration of grave human rights abuses and war crimes against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The signatories emphasized that \u201cto this day, Azerbaijan continues to illegally detain at least 23 known Armenian prisoners of war captured during and following the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh,\u201d warning that \u201cthese political hostages, including former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, have been subject to abuse and degrading treatment in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They further stressed the broader regional implications of Azerbaijani impunity, writing: \u201cThe sham trials of high-profile Armenian figures undermine confidence-building measures necessary for a sustainable peace. Releasing political prisoners and prisoners of war is a critical step toward achieving a just and lasting resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Members concluded with a call for immediate U.S. action: \u201cWe believe Magnitsky Sanctions are a critical tool to leverage the release of POWs and deter further aggression against Armenia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirty-four U.S. House Members joined Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) in co-signing the letter to Secretary Rubio, including Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Don Beyer (D-VA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Laura Friedman (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Tom Kean (R-NJ), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), John Larson (D-CT), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Robert Menendez, Jr. (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Linda S\u00e1nchez (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), and David Valadao (R-CA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Titus has been outspoken in calling for U.S. leadership in imposing sanctions on Azerbaijani officials for grave human rights abuses. In April 2024, she introduced the bipartisan\u00a0Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act of 2024 (H.R.8141)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0with Rep. Gus Bilirakis, requiring the Biden Administration to determine whether over 40 Azerbaijani officials should be sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act and Section 7031 of the State and Foreign Operations Act. At the time, Rep. Titus stated: \u201cWe cannot mince words when talking about what ensued: ethnic cleansing with genocidal intent\u2026 It\u2019s time to impose costs on President Aliyev and his supporters for their actions instead of rewarding them with arms deals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Chris Smith \u2013 who authored the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act \u2013 has similarly championed justice for the Armenian people,\u00a0introducing a resolution (H.Res.1327)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in June 2024 with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), condemning Azerbaijan\u2019s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and calling for the release of all Armenian political prisoners, and the safe return of displaced Armenians to their historic homeland. \u201cThe horrific atrocities and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Azerbaijan\u2026does not erase the Armenians\u2019 right to live in their ancient homeland in peace and freedom,\u201d stated Rep. Smith. As co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Rep. Smith has used his platform to convene several hearings on the rights of Artsakh\u2019s Armenians and the status of Armenian hostages and prisoners of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full text of the letter is provided below and\u00a0available online here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #####<\/p>\n\n\n\n Text of Titus-Smith Letter to Secretary of State Rubio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Honorable Marco Rubio Dear Secretary Rubio,<\/p>\n\n\n\n In light of Azerbaijan\u2019s ongoing detention and abuse of Armenian prisoners of war and political captives, we are writing to urge you to immediately exercise your authority to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on Azerbaijani officials responsible for the perpetration of grave human rights abuses and war crimes against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over a year has passed since Azerbaijan\u2019s blockade and military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) forcibly displaced the region\u2019s 120,000 Christian Armenians in what has been characterized by international legal experts as ethnic cleansing. Azerbaijan\u2019s assault on the region in September 2023 marked the culmination of a pattern of aggression following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War during which Azerbaijan perpetrated egregious war crimes, including the summary execution of civilians; the destruction of schools, homes, and hospitals; the deliberate targeting of churches and other Armenian Christian heritage sites; and the arbitrary detention of dozens of Armenian prisoners of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To this day, Azerbaijan continues to illegally detain at least 23 known Armenian prisoners of war captured during and following the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Having faced no accountability for its continued detention of Armenian prisoners, Azerbaijan has recently commenced politically motivated trials under false pretenses, targeting captives based on their Armenian identity. Among those detained are former presidents, foreign ministers, and parliamentary leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh\u2019s government. Reports further indicate that these political hostages, including former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, have been subject to abuse and degrading treatment in custody, while secrecy and irregularities surrounding proceedings in Baku\u2019s military court cast significant doubt over the fairness and legitimacy of these proceedings. In light of the Azerbaijani government\u2019s recent decision to order the removal of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only organization authorized to visit Armenian detainees, we are deeply concerned about the safety and security of Armenian captives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sham trials of high-profile Armenian figures undermine confidence-building measures necessary for a sustainable peace. Releasing political prisoners and prisoners of war is a critical step toward achieving a just and lasting resolution. Therefore, we urge you to take the following actions in your engagements with the Government of Azerbaijan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian political prisoners in all future engagements with the Government of Azerbaijan; While we are hopeful that the conclusion of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan will usher a more peaceful future for the region, we remain deeply concerned about Azerbaijan\u2019s participation in hostage diplomacy and efforts to impose unreasonable preconditions on the Armenian government. Furthermore, given reports that the proposed agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not include any provision regarding the release of Armenian prisoners, we believe Magnitsky Sanctions are a critical tool to leverage the release of POWs and deter further aggression against Armenia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continued inaction in the face of Azerbaijan\u2019s authoritarian aggression will have grave ramifications for U.S. credibility throughout the region, particularly as Armenia seeks to strengthen its ties with the West. As such, we believe it is a moral and strategic imperative for the U.S. to take bold action to compel Azerbaijan to release unjustly detained Armenian prisoners and ensure regional peace is predicated on accountability, justice, and the fundamental right of return for Nagorno-Karabakh\u2019s displaced Armenian population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We look forward to your response and stand ready to work with you to ensure that U.S. policy aligns with our country\u2019s commitment to justice and stability in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [[CLOSING]] <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reps. Dina Titus and Chris Smith Lead Bipartisan Call to Sanction Azerbaijani Officials for War Crimes April 11, 2025 WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Thirty-six U.S. Representatives \u2013 led by Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) \u2013 have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for grave […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,12,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-english","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089","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=1089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1091,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089\/revisions\/1091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Press Azerbaijani authorities to allow international observers and independent media outlets to monitor proceedings against Armenian political figures; and
\u2014 Impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on Azerbaijan officials responsible for gross human rights violations against Armenian prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[[SIGNATURES]]<\/p>\n\n\n\n