US Senators Demand Immediate Release of Armenian Captives
27 US Senators have sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and political prisoners held by Azerbaijan. This information is reported by the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Central Office of Armenian National Committee (Hay Dat).
In their letter, the senators emphasized that the captives held in Azerbaijan have been subjected to violence and degrading treatment, and the trials underway in the Baku military court are full of secrecy and procedural violations. Furthermore, the “expulsion” of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from Azerbaijan makes the situation of the Armenian captives even more dangerous.
The senators propose three specific steps to the US Secretary of State during interactions with Azerbaijan: demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian political prisoners and POWs; appeal to Azerbaijan to allow international observers and independent media to participate in the trials against the political figures; and apply sanctions provided for under the “Global Magnitsky” Act against those Azerbaijani officials responsible for human rights violations.
According to the senators, US inaction in the face of Azerbaijan’s aggression undermines the country’s reputation and seriously damages US strategic interests in the region.
According to official data, 23 Armenian captives are being held in Azerbaijan, including former presidents of Artsakh and former commanders of the Defense Army. Trials against them began on January 17, during which charges have been brought for more than 2,500 episodes.