More than 100 US lawmakers have called on Marco Rubio to end US military aid to Azerbaijan.

ArmInfo. More than 100 American lawmakers, including 26 senators and 75 congressmen, have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to end US military aid to Azerbaijan.

According to the press service of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), they cited Baku's convictions of illegally detained Armenians, the destruction of Armenian Christian heritage, and the ongoing military occupation of Armenia's sovereign territory as reasons.

The bicameral, bipartisan campaign, supported by the ANCA, was led by Senators Gary Peters and Adam Schiff, and House members Gus Billirakis and Frank Pallone. The letter was co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as the heads of several Senate and House committees and subcommittees. The ANCA stated that this initiative is a response to the Trump administration's circumvention of Section 907, which restores U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. U.S. President Donald Trump first suspended Section 907 in August 2025 following a White House summit with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and in July 2026, he formally notified Congress of his intention to reuse this presidential privilege. In their October 5 letter, the lawmakers, among other things, cited the destruction of Armenian churches in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the reported demolition of two churches in Stepanakert in April 2026. They also point to Azerbaijan's increased military presence in approximately 241 square kilometers of sovereign Armenian territory following illegal incursions in 2021 and 2022. The lawmakers note that Armenia returned four villages to Azerbaijan in May 2024, while Baku has not responded by withdrawing its troops from Armenian-occupied territories. The lawmakers who signed the letter call on the administration to withhold U.S. military assistance until Azerbaijan takes practical steps to release Armenian prisoners, protect Armenian cultural heritage from further destruction, and withdraw its troops from sovereign Armenian territory. The U.S. Congress has clearly expressed a bipartisan and bicameral consensus. Following a 44-7 vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee to demand the release of Armenian hostages from Azerbaijan, more than 100 lawmakers from more than 25 states called on the Trump administration to invoke Section 907 and halt American arms and aid supplies to oil-rich Azerbaijan. They emphasized that Aliyev's corrupt and genocidal regime neither needs nor deserves American generosity, especially at a time when many Americans in the United States are facing economic hardship," noted ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. The exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons remains unknown. Experts estimate the number to be in the hundreds. Azerbaijani authorities currently confirm the presence of 19 Armenians in their custody. Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are eight former and current members of the military-political leadership of Artsakh. These include former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan; as well as Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan; former Commander-in-Chief 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 trumped-up charges, and Bako Sahakyan, Arkady Ghukasyan, and Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. The so-called court sentenced the remaining Artsakh residents to up to 15 years in prison.