ANCA Leads Full Court Press across Capitol Hill for Release of Armenian Prisoners

— ANCA Youth Leaders Confront the Lies of Azerbaijani Lobbyists

 Washington, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Leo Sarkisian interns and Maral Melkonian Avetisyan fellows spotlighted the plight of Armenian prisoners illegally detained and tortured by Azerbaijan, countering Azerbaijani efforts to cover up their genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, during a two-day Capitol Hill campaign that educated more than four hundred Congressional offices.

The ANCA youth advocates took a bold stand, wearing shirts depicting the photos of the Artsakh leaders illegally imprisoned by Azerbaijan, calling attention to the twenty-three known Armenian hostages captured following the 2020 Azerbaijan/Turkey war against Armenia/Artsakh and the 2023 genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.  The interns called for direct U.S. action to secure the immediate release of the Armenian hostages and encouraged passage of key legislation, which calls on the U.S. government to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its war crimes.

The ANCA youth delegation, wearing their POWs shirts, then lined up and greeted Congressional staff attending an Azerbaijani Embassy-sponsored briefing, serving as a powerful visual reminder of the ongoing human cost of Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian aggression. They carried a banner featuring photos of the Armenian hostages, emphasizing the human rights abuses faced by these detainees and the urgent need for international intervention.  The briefing was coordinated by Ezra Friedlander, a registered foreign agent for the Government of Azerbaijan, who, according to U.S. Department of Justice records, is paid $500,000 a year to advance pro-Azerbaijan policies in Congress.

“As a new generation of young Armenian advocates, this is the least we can do for those who have sacrificed everything. We will make sure to use our voice to advocate for the unheard,” explained Leo Sarkisian intern Maneh Davityan. ANCA Maral Melkonian Avetisyan fellow Nareh Aseyan concurred, stating, “Even though the world has turned its back on our soldiers, it’s imperative for us as young Armenians to advocate for the release of our heroes who’ve spent their lives fighting for our land and our people.”

The youth advocates prepared a reel about their experience, shared on the ANCA’s social media channels: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Tq4PRKkHB/

The ANCA delegation thanked Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) for spearheading pro-Artsakh legislation demanding the release of Armenian hostages and offered the latest updates on the plight of the Armenian prisoners to Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), and Brad Sherman (D-CA).

“Inspired to meet a new generation of Armenian Americans advocating for justice for #Artsakh and the need to free #Armenian POWs illegally detained by #Azerbaijan. Among these POWs is David Babayan who I met with in my office a year before his illegal abduction by Azerbaijan,” tweeted Rep. Sherman, following his meeting with the ANCA youth advocates.

The ANCA delegation urged Members of Congress to secure immediate consideration and passage of a series of pro-Artsakh/Armenia legislation aimed at holding Azerbaijan accountable and securing the release of Armenian hostages, including:

The Armenian Protection Act (H.R.7288): Introduced by Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY), this bipartisan bill seeks to temporarily repeal the waiver authority of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act and enforce prohibitions on military assistance to Azerbaijan for a two-year period. The Senate companion, S.3000, introduced by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), passed by unanimous consent last year.

The Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act (H.R.8141): Introduced by Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), this bipartisan measure mandates explores the applicability of Global Magnitsky Act Sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, including the arbitrary detention and abuse of Armenian prisoners of war.

H.Res.861: Introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), this bipartisan resolution calls on Azerbaijan to immediately release Armenian POWs and civilian captives and hold Azerbaijan accountable for the abuse and torture of captives.

Condemning Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh (H.Res.1327): Introduced by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), this resolution defines Azerbaijan’s blockade and military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh as acts of ethnic cleansing and urges the Administration to take immediate action to support Armenia’s sovereignty. The resolution calls for imposing targeted sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes, enforcing prohibitions on U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan, providing humanitarian assistance to respond to the refugee crisis in Armenia, and ensuring the right of Armenians to return to Nagorno-Karabakh under international protections.

The twenty-three Armenian hostages, including eight current and former leaders of Artsakh, illegally imprisoned by Azerbaijan are:  Davit Allahverdyan, Davit Babayan (former Artsakh Foreign Minister), Madat Babayan, Levon Balayan, Rashid Beglaryan, Vasili Beglaryan, Davit Davtyan, Vicken Euljekjian, Erik Ghazaryan, Arkadi Ghukasyan (former Artsakh President), Arayik Harutyunyan (former Artsakh President), Davit Ishkhanyan (Chairman of the Artsakh National Assembly), Vagif Khachatryan, Alyosha Khosrovyan, Davit Manukyan (General and former Commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces), Garik Martrosyan, Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan (General and former Commander of the Defense Forces), Melikset Pashayan, Bako Sahakyan (former Artsakh President), Gurgen Stepanyan, Gevorg Sujyan, and Ruben Vardanyan (former State Minister of Artsakh).