60 Congress Members Call for Accountability from Baku

Sixty members of the U.S. Congress are calling on the U.S. leadership to hold Azerbaijan accountable for military crimes, hostage-taking, and the illegal occupation of Armenian territories, ahead of the UN COP29 climate summit in Baku. This was reported by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The statement was initiated by Democrat Frank Pallone and Republican Ed Markey. “As global leaders have not been held accountable for the genocidal ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, they must use the COP29 summit as an opportunity to analyze Azerbaijan's egregious human rights violations and respond to their genocidal regime's actions,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on October 3, U.S. senators and congressional representatives stated: “With COP29 approaching, we urge the State Department to pressure Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani government to take concrete measures aimed at maintaining peace in the region, protecting human rights, and upholding international laws and norms. We emphasize that despite undeniable evidence and international condemnation, Azerbaijan has faced no significant consequences for carrying out ethnic cleansing and other acts.”

Subsequently, the legislators called on the State Department to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and prisoners of war, including ethnic Armenians.