Eshoo and Pelosi Call on President Biden to Take Decisive Action in Response to Humanitarian Crisis in Artsakh

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-16) and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11) led 75 bipartisan House Members in writing to President Biden in support of strong U.S. action to alleviate the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and hold Azerbaijan accountable for engaging in ethnic cleansing against Artsakh’s Armenian population.

The Members wrote: “In light of the unfolding mass displacement of Artsakh’s population, it is clear that our country’s response to this crisis has not been commensurate with the scale of the devastation. We believe the United States must make clear to Azerbaijan that its unprovoked aggression against Artsakh is unacceptable and will be met with an appropriate response.”

In the letter, the Members urge the Biden Administration to provide robust humanitarian aid to support Artsakh’s displaced population; hold Azerbaijan accountable for violating human rights through targeted sanctions and the suspension of U.S. military aid; send observers to the Lachin Corridor to ensure the safe evacuation of Artsakh’s population; and engage with Azerbaijan to secure amnesty for Artsakh’s leaders.

Background:

On September 19^th Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked military offensive on Artsakh in an attempt to subjugate the region’s ethnically Armenian population by force. Following a 24-hour assault that saw the displacement of several thousand civilians and more than 200 deaths, Artsakh’s authorities chose to disarm to avoid further bloodshed. Since then, more than 100,000 Armenians have fled the region as refugees, and the Republic of Artsakh has agreed to dissolve all state institutions by January 1, 2024.

Azerbaijan’s military offensive was the culmination of a cruel and inhumane blockade of Artsakh that deprived the region’s 120,000 civilians, including 30,000 children, of food, medicine, and other necessities for more than nine months.

A PDF of the letter can be found HERE and the text of the letter is below:

Dear President Biden,

On September 19^thAzerbaijan launched an unprovoked military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in an attempt to subjugate the region’s ethnically Armenian population by force. Following a 24-hour assault that saw the displacement of several thousand civilians and more than 200 deaths, Artsakh’s authorities agreed to disarm to avoid further bloodshed.

Azerbaijan’s military offensive is the culmination of a cruel nine-month blockade of Artsakh that has deprived the region’s 120,000 civilians, including 30,000 children, of food, medicine, and other necessities. In light of the unfolding mass displacement of Artsakh’s population, it is clear that our country’s response to this crisis has not been commensurate with the scale of the devastation. We believe the United States must make clear to Azerbaijan that its unprovoked aggression against Artsakh is unacceptable and will be met with an appropriate response.

Azerbaijan’s assault and subjugation of Artsakh has left the region’s Armenian population with no option but to flee, fearing for their future under Azerbaijan’s brutal authoritarian rule. As we write to you, over 100,000 individuals, more than 80 percent of the region’s population, have fled to Armenia as refugees. We are also disturbed by reports that Azerbaijani authorities are detaining members of Artsakh’s political leadership, preventing them from evacuating to safety.

Prior to Azerbaijan’s military assault, several leading scholars on atrocities prevention sounded the alarm of genocide, including former United Nations genocide expert, Juan Mendez, and former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo. Despite these credible warnings of impending ethnic cleansing, this preventable humanitarian disaster is unfolding on our watch.

The U.S. has a moral obligation to do whatever is necessary to bring an end to this needless suffering and ensure Azerbaijan faces consequences for engaging in ethnic cleansing. To this end, we respectfully request that your administration take the following actions:

1. Enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, a provision of current law that prohibits U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, and impose targeted sanctions on Azerbaijani officials under the Global Magnitsky Act to make clear to Azerbaijan that its aggression will not be tolerated.

2. Provide robust humanitarian assistance to support Artsakh’s displaced population and rally the international community to do the same by leading the establishment of an international humanitarian relief operation.

3. Take all actions necessary to ensure the safe evacuation of Artsakh’s population to Armenia, including through the immediate deployment of observers to the Lachin Corridor, as well as direct engagement with Azerbaijani authorities to secure amnesty for Artsakh’s local leaders.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our requests. We look forward to your administration taking decisive action to alleviate the suffering of the people of Artsakh.