WASHINGTON/BAKU (Combined Sources) — A bicameral letter spearheaded by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in November, urged the Biden administration to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its human rights abuses, release all prisoners of war, and take measures to ensure Armenia’s territorial integrity.
Signed by 60 members of the House and Senate, the letter takes a stern tone and does not mince words:
“As COP29 approaches, we request that the State Department press Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Government of Azerbaijan to take tangible measures that support regional peace, uphold human rights protections, and adhere to international laws and norms. We urge the State Department to press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29,” the letter notes, in part.
“Azerbaijan’s record on human rights remains deeply concerning, with no improvement noted by watchdogs. Human Rights Watch has consistently reported Azerbaijan’s ‘appalling human rights record,’ with abuses escalating unabated through 2023. Freedom House ranks Azerbaijan with a ‘democracy percentage’ of 1 percent and a ‘global freedom score’ of 7 out of 100.3 The State Department’s most recent Human Rights Report corroborates these findings, detailing unlawful killings, torture, and severe restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association,” the letter goes on to say.
“Azerbaijan’s deadly attack in Nagorno Karabakh in 2020, the 10-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the September 2023 cleansing of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh blatantly violated international law and led to significant and continued human suffering. The sustained blockade violated a February 2023 order by the International Court of Justice requiring “unimpeded movement . . . along the Lachin Corridor,” the members of Congress wrote.
“Despite overwhelming evidence and international condemnation, Azerbaijan has not faced meaningful consequences for the ethnic cleansing and other actions. Additionally, as of the end of 2023, Azerbaijan had detained several of Nagorno-Karabakh’s political leaders and at least 23 prisoners of war; many others were unaccounted for or captured, some of whom were extrajudicially killed by Azerbaijani soldiers or law enforcement. Azerbaijan must take immediate action to address its poor human rights track record ahead of COP29. Additionally, we urge the State Department to condemn Azerbaijan’s harmful rhetoric criticizing Armenia’s right to self-defense. Azerbaijan has made false and inflammatory allegations that Armenia is preparing for war against Azerbaijan,” it added.