Senator Edward Markey from the US state of Massachusetts called on the United States and the international community to use all possible means and tools, including the COP29 expected this year, to ensure the illegal detention of Armenian hostages and prisoners by the Aliyev regime. release. The senator called on both Congress and the White House to insist in all interactions with the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia that the release of political prisoners must be a prerequisite for any compromise or peace agreement reached. Throughout the senator's speech, the photo of the illegal arrest of the former Minister of State of Artsakh, philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan was shown. The senator's speech is translated below, and the video is available at this link: "I have arrived today to speak about the illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan and the alarming indicators of widespread human rights violations in that country. On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh in order to establish full control over the area, resulting in the mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians, literally all Armenians in the region. Azerbaijan then falsely denied that it had forced the people to leave and dishonestly promised to peacefully integrate the region and guarantee the rights of ethnic Armenians. Instead, even after their capitulation, Azerbaijan arrested and then detained former Karabakh government leaders as a punitive measure, including former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, whose photo is here, former presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arayik Harutyunyan, former foreign minister Davit Babayan, parliament speaker Davit Ishkhanyan and generals Levon Mnatsakanyan and Davit Manukyan.
These eight former officials have been in pre-trial detention for more than eight months. Most recently, last month, the Azerbaijani authorities extended their detention for another five months, without trial, without due process of law. Azerbaijan regularly uses "hostage diplomacy" by prolonging illegal detention and using prisoners of war as bargaining chips to impose its demands on Armenia, which is a clear violation of international law. In fact, Azerbaijan is still holding dozens of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians it captured during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Additionally, widespread reports, including those by Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights, and the United States Department of State, have raised alarm over Azerbaijan. about the terrible treatment of political prisoners. Only the former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, as a punitive action, was subjected to an extension of the term of solitary confinement, deplorable conditions, refusal to provide water and clean clothes, and orders to stand on his feet for hours. He has also been deprived of contact with his lawyer and family for several weeks. Despite clear examples of human rights abuses, Azerbaijan has received little damage from the international community for its brutal violence against ethnic Armenians and illegal detention of political prisoners. The Aliyev regime believes it can continue to operate in flagrant violations of international and United States law, and that is why Congress must speak out and say "no" to Azerbaijan, "no" to "hostage diplomacy" and by Azerbaijan. arresting political prisoners. "No" to the cruel and inhumane punishment of prisoners and political prisoners, "no" to the denial of the rights of ethnic Armenians in the region, and "no" to Azerbaijan delaying the release of political prisoners for one more day. Azerbaijan must stop the treatment of political prisoners. all his violence. He must release all political prisoners and prisoners of war. That is why I sent a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging the State Department to prioritize the release of Armenian prisoners and the right of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians to return to their homes in the ongoing peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan says it wants peace, but what it really wants is impunity and, not least, to be rewarded by the United States and the international community, including the privilege of hosting the COP29 UN climate conference later this year. : You can't say on the one hand that you want to host the world, and then at the same time say, "Ignore our human rights record, ignore the fact that we've recently arrested another country's political leaders, and pretend that we're still worthy." to host the planet's climate summit." I call on both Congress and the White House to insist in all interactions with the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia that the release of political prisoners must be a precondition for any concessions, any rewards, or any peace agreement reached. We must say "no" to Azerbaijan's violations of international law and human rights and ensure that the guilty are brought to justice. Now is the perfect time to have this conversation. Azerbaijan is preparing to host the world climate summit. We must use this opportunity to bring attention to all those political prisoners who are illegally held by the government of Azerbaijan. This is a gross violation of international human rights and I call on our government and the world to pay attention to these political prisoners so that they are released before the climate change summit later this year."
