Thursday, June 22 2023 15:52

ArmInfo.The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) held a landmark hearing spotlighting  Azerbaijan's escalating aggression against the indigenous Armenian Christians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), calling for sanctions against the Azerbaijani government in the face of a second Armenian Genocide taking place in the region, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

"Today's hearing both reflected and reinforced the growing  pro-Artsakh Congressional consensus in support of an urgent reset in  U.S. policy - starting with an end to all U.S. military assistance to  Azerbaijan," stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  "The  ANCA will continue to work with the broad coalition of faith-based,  ethnic, and human rights organizations and Congressional leaders to  defend Artsakh's right to security and self-determination."

The two-hour Capitol Hill hearing was hosted by TLHRC Co-Chairs Chris  Smith (R-NJ) and James McGovern (D-MA) and included remarks by  Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Gus Bilirakis (R- FL) and  Frank Pallone (D-NJ).  Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also submitted a  written statement for the record. Titled "Safeguarding the people of  Nagorno Karabakh", the hearing included testimony by former U.S.  Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam  Brownback, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, American  Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Michael Rubin, and Columbia  University Director of the Peace-Building and Human Rights Program,  Institute for the Study of Human Rights, David Phillips.  

"You've got 120,000 Christians that are being strangled, blockaded by  Azerbaijan," explained Amb.  Brownback, who recently returned from a  Philos Project-led fact-finding mission to Armenia.  "It's against  the peace agreement, it's against what the International Court of  Justice found, and yet it's taking place. It's being backed by  Erdogan, who is probably the leading Islamist person in the world  that's pushing militant Islam."  Amb. Brownback recommended the  introduction of a Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Act, which would  clearly identify the minimum standards to safeguard the security of  Artsakh's Armenian population.  Amb. Brownback also called for a  Congressional delegation visit to Artsakh, noting that he and his  delegation were blocked from entering Artsakh last week.  On U.S.  assistance to Azerbaijan, Amb.  Brownback was adamant: "Unless  Azerbaijan lifts that blockade, those Section 907 sanctions should be  put in place by the President, by the Administration, and they ought  to take place now if they will not lift this blockade."

    Michael Rubin, who also participated in the Philos Project Armenia  fact-finding mission, was adamant about the implementation of U.S.  laws to sanction Azerbaijan - including Section 907 of the FREEDOM  Support Act, the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, and Magnitsky Act.   "President Aliyev has changed, and grown more erratic over the last  decade. I'd say his trajectory is almost analogous to what we saw  with Saddam Hussein," explained Rubin.

    Phillips was direct in his assessment of Azerbaijan's genocidal  intent against Artsakh's Armenian population.  "It is clear from  Aliyev's actions and his hate speech that a second Armenian Genocide  is underway. The Erdogan regime is a full partner. It has equipped  Azerbaijan with the tools to implement its Armenophobia," stated  Phillips.  He went on to discuss the documentation project he had  launched on Azerbaijani and Turkish atrocities against Artsakh,  geared to preserve evidence to deter future crimes and hold  perpetrators accountable.  

    "I think our task today is simply to consider how to preserve the  lives of the Armenians in Karabakh, in the face of a potentially  genocidal threat," explained Amb. Evans. "I certainly agree with the  idea that the waiver of Section 907 ought to be rescinded."  Amb.  Evans went on to urge US diplomats to "put the brakes on Turkish and  Israeli arms sales to Baku. All the other members of the Minsk Group,  and Turkey is technically a member of that group, but all the others  had basically agreed to preserve the military balance in the  Caucasus. Now Russia of course, played the biggest role as a supplier  to both sides, but when Israeli and Turkish high-tech drones and  other equipment got in there, not to mention the F-16s, this really  upset the situation and has brought us to where we are." 

Rep. Chris Smith, during dialogue with TLHRC hearing witnesses about  U.S. efforts to address escalating Azerbaijani aggression, announced  that he will soon be holding a second hearing - this time through the  House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human  Rights & International Organizations, which he chairs - where U.S.  Administration officials would be invited to outline their efforts to  address the Artsakh crisis.  

    In opening remarks in today's hearing, Rep. Smith noted, "Since 2020,  Azerbaijan has been tightening a noose on Nagorno-Karabakh. Its  forces have occupied much of the former territory and even territory  of Armenia proper. [.] As our government is leading discussions with  Azerbaijan and Armenia leaders, we in Congress have a responsibility  to ask where is all of this headed. [.] Our country simply cannot  accept a risk of genocide or of ethnic cleansing of  Nagorno-Karabakh." 

TLHRC Co-Chair Rep. McGovern offered an overview of the Artsakh  crisis and Azerbaijan's aggression, asserting, "The bottom line is  that the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh understandably feels  vulnerable and at risk. So, what do we do about this? What is the  pro-human rights response here? It is to ensure civilian protection,  which means taking any and all actions we can to prevent further  escalation of tensions that could lead to more war and new  atrocities."  Rep. McGovern noted his co-sponsorship of the  Anti-Blockade Resolution (H.Res.108), spearheaded by Rep. Pallone and  Rep. Bilirakis, which condemns Azerbaijan's Artsakh blockade, calls  for the cutting all military aid to Azerbaijan and expanding U.S. aid  to Artsakh. The bi-partisan measure currently has over 90  co-sponsors.  

Rep. Bilirakis, who was among those chairing the commission hearing,  stressed the importance of enforcing Section 907 restrictions on U.S.  aid to Azerbaijan.  "I appreciate the testimony from this esteemed  panel and the calls for an end to the Section 907 waiver of the  FREEDOM Support Act, which would prohibit the sale of military  equipment to Azerbaijan. You're selling it to Azerbaijan, it's just  like selling it to Turkey. There's no justifiable reason to continue  this waiver when Azerbaijan has clearly used this equipment to wage  an aggressive war against Armenia, commit war crimes against innocent  Armenians and enforce the current blockade."  Rep. Bilirakis pledged  to continue working with the Congressional Armenian Caucus to stop  the Section 907 waiver "until the United States can guarantee that no  American- bought resources will be used to perpetuate humanitarian  crises, genocidal campaigns, or target the innocent." 

Rep. Pallone, who submitted testimony for the record and offered  remarks during the commission hearing, emphasized Azerbaijan's  genocidal intent in its ongoing aggression and blockade against  Artsakh.  "Aliyev has not been subtle about alluding to the Armenian  Genocide when discussing Artsakh and removing people from there, nor  has he attempt to hide his ongoing deadly incursions into Armenian  territory," stated Rep. Pallone.  "He is clearly taking premeditated  steps to remove the indigenous Armenian population from Artsakh and  deprive them of the opportunity to live freely, democratically, and  with dignity in the land of their ancestors - a clear sign of ethnic  cleansing that we must not ignore."  Rep. Pallone noted that "it's  past time that the United States start better leveraging the  diplomatic tools at our disposal, including sanctions, to finally  bring this purposeful crisis to an end."  Citing reports of the  continuation of Azerbaijan-Armenia talks in Washington DC next week,  Rep. Pallone stressed, "I call on the Administration to take every  action necessary to prevent Azerbaijan's militaristic behavior from  dictating the terms of a final agreement, as that will not lead to an  equitable, lasting peace in the region."

    In written testimony submitted to the TLHRC hearing, Rep. Schiff  (D-CA) expressed deep concern that "Artsakh has been used as a  bargaining chip in the peace talks, without any representation."  He  stressed that "it is the right of the people of Artsakh to live free  of political, cultural, and economic oppression, and as a protector  of democracy, the United States must continue to support and stand  with the people of Artsakh to achieve the recognition it deserves  among all nations."  Rep. Schiff outlined a series of steps the US  must take to safeguard human rights in Artsakh, including imposing  sanctions on Azerbaijan and ensuring "the protection and right to  self-determination of the people of Artsakh."