Senators urge U.S. Administration to secure release of Armenian POWs  and ensure Artsakh`s right to return as precondition for peace talks 

ArmInfo. In a letter 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's political leadership illegally detained by Azerbaijan as a precondition for negotiations, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).  

"The Biden-Harris Administration's 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's escalating threats of renewed  aggression," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We 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's  Armenians to live in peace and security in their indigenous   homeland." 

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.  

Commenting on the status of peace talks, the Senators noted that  Azerbaijan's efforts to decapitate the political leadership of  Artsakh was a "well-known tactic of those committing ethnic  cleansing." They expressed concerns over "denying their freedom and  ability to participate in the peace process." 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.  

Noting that Azerbaijan has "incurred few costs from the international  community for their continued detention," the Senators concluded  their letter by urging the Administration to "insist 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," as well as to impose sanctions  on Azerbaijani officials responsible for gross human rights  violations.  

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, which would require  the State Department to provide a report on Azerbaijan's 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.  

Senator Tillis also recently highlighted Azerbaijan's egregious human  rights record with the introduction of a resolution (S.Res.616)  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.  

In November, Sen. Peters led the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of the  "Armenian Protection Act of 2023" (S.3000), which aims to block all  U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan by removing President Biden's  authority to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act for fiscal   years 2024 and 2025.  

The Markey-Cassidy-Peters-Tillis letter came ahead of a trilateral  meeting between the European Union, United States, and Armenia, set  to take place on April 5th in Brussels amid renewed fears of war.   Despite the State Department's insistence that progress has been made  in negotiations, Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly rejected  third-party mediation in the peace process, forcing Armenia to  negotiate under conditions of extreme coercion, including  Azerbaijan's occupation of sovereign Armenian territory and attacks  on Armenian border villages.  

The Senate letter follows a recent letter from ANCA Chairman Raffi  Hamparian calling on lawmakers to urge the Biden Administration to  take immediate action to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocide  of Artsakh, ensure the immediate release of Armenian prisoners, and  reassert the need to advocate for a safe and secure right of return  for Armenians forcibly displaced from their homes.  

A full copy of the Markey-Cassidy-Peters-Tillis letter is available  here and provided below:   https://anca.org/assets/pdf/040424_Markey_Cassidy_Peters_Tillis_Letter.pdf