Mike Carey urged Congress to pressure Azerbaijan to secure the release of all Armenian hostages held in Baku.

ArmInfo. U.S. Representative Mike Carey raised the issue of Armenian hostages held in Baku during a hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means on “Strategic Partnership to Ensure the Security of Critical Resources and Supply Chains.”

According to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Carey began his remarks by mentioning Armenia’s status as the first country to adopt Christianity, and then moved on to the issue of the Armenians Azerbaijan continues to hold.

"Azerbaijan is holding Armenian hostages—including the elected leadership of Artsakh—following a genocidal ethnic cleansing in the region. The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means oversees U.S. trade policy, and Carey officially put Baku’s actions on the record at a hearing dedicated to critical resources and supply chains," the ANCA said in a statement.

In this regard, the ANCA expressed gratitude to Carey for raising the issue of the hostages and once again called on Congress to pressure Azerbaijan to release all Armenian hostages held in Baku.

It should be noted that the exact number of Armenian prisoners of war  and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons remains unknown. Experts estimate that there are several hundred. Today, the Azerbaijani authorities confirm that they are holding 19 Armenians.  Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are 8 former and current representatives of the military and political leadership of Artsakh. They include former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, as well as Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan, former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army General Levon Mnatsakanyan, General David Manukyan, and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.

In February, a Baku puppet court sentenced Arayik Harutyunyan, David Babayan, David Ishkhanyan, David Manukyan, and Levon Mnatsakanyan to life imprisonment on fabricated charges, while Bako Sahakyan, Arkady Ghukasyan, and Ruben Vardanyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison.  The so-called court sentenced the other Artsakh Armenians to up to 15 years in prison.