Breaking
More than 200 Killed, at Least 14 Tortured as a Result of Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention Issues a Statement on the Imprisonment of Armenian Political Prisoners by Azerbaijan
- Recalls its 126-page report where it outlined President Aliyev’s genocidal narrative against Armenian identity in detail;
- Urges Azerbaijan to abide by its obligations under international law and proceed with the immediate and safe repatriation of any and all Armenian individuals under its jurisdiction;
- Condemns the international community’s indifference and complicity in Azerbaijan’s unequivocal genocidal process against Armenians.
Previously, Lemkin Institute noted disappointment with the outcome of the UN mission’s visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, which took place after the entire Armenian population of Karabakh was forcibly displaced by Russia’s support Azerbaijani military aggression.
Azerbaijan Destroyed Armenian Church in Nagorno- Karabakh, CHW Says
Azerbaijan’s apparent disregard for an International Court of Justice ruling is evident as new construction activity at the site of the destroyed St. Sargis Church raises doubts about the safeguarding of Armenian cultural heritage.
An Ethnic Armenian from Nagorno-Karabakh Was Sentenced to 15-year Imprisonment After a Sham Trial in Baku
A military court in Baku sentenced the 68-year-old Vagif Khachatrian to 15 years in prison three months after he was arrested by Azerbaijani security services during his aborted medical evacuation to Armenia.
Yerevan Fortifies Defense: Turns to India for Cutting-Edge Anti-Drone Systems Amid Threats by Russia and Azerbajian
U.S. Congress
House Foreign Affairs Committee to Address ‘The Future of Nagorno-Karabakh’ in Critical Subcommittee Hearing Nov. 15
Hearing will feature testimony from James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and Dr. Alexander Sokolowski, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Schiff Introduces Resolution Demanding Sanctions on Azerbaijan for Illegally Detaining Armenian Prisoners
- Calls on Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian POWs, hostages, and other detained persons, and provide information on the status of those still be detained and those missing;
- Calls for the implementation of Global Magnitsky sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for abuses against POWs and credible investigations and prosecutions of the perpetrators;
- Calls for the suspension of U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan and full implementation of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act in light of Azerbaijan’s ongoing violations of human rights.
CFTJ Urges Blinken, Congress to Act on Detention of Armenian Political Prisoners and POWs
The Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) has been documenting human rights violation and war crimes against Armenians since the 2020 war in Nagorno- Karabakh. CFTJ set up fact-finding infrastructure in the region and has been collecting first-hand testimonies from victims.
- Presents sample evidence of Azerbaijan’s breaches of international law;
- Documents specific human rights violations against detainees and POWs in Azerbaijani custody;
- Urges Secretary Blinken, Congress to take decisive action in response to alarming findings;
- Calls on U.S. leadership to ensure the safety of unlawfully detained Armenians and demands their immediate release.
Holiness Aram I Raises Ethnic Cleansing of Karabakh Armenian Christians During Opening Prayer of U.S. House of Reps.
After a meeting in the Capitol with Speaker Johnson, Rep. Schiff, and U.S. House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, His Holiness Aram I offered the opening prayer at the November 10 U.S. House of Representatives session. In his prayer, he noted, “Help us, God of Mercy, remember in our prayers more than one hundred thousand Armenian refugees who were recently forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh, their centuries old homeland…”
World Leaders, NGOs Condemn Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention: There is a Danger of Invasion of Armenia in Coming Days and Weeks
- Addresses Azerbaijan’s longstanding interest in Armenia’s southern Syunik Province, notably discussing the concept of an Azerbaijani-controlled “Zangezur Corridor” to Nakhichevan;
- Emphasizes the well-documented genocidal Armenophobia present in Turkey and Azerbaijan, adding a concerning dimension to the situation and raising the alarm about the potential for the Azerbaijani invasion to devolve into genocide.
The Voice of America Armenian (VOA) service asked the State Department to comment on the Lemkin Institute’s Red Flag alert for genocide. In response, the U.S. State Department told VOA that ‘any violation of Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would lead to serious consequences.’
Conference Entitled ‘The Rights of Artsakh Armenians and the European Union’ Held in European Parliament
Luis Moreno Ocampo – the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Irene Victoria Massimino – Co- Founder of the Lemkin Institute and an international criminal lawyer and, Karnig Kerkonian – an international lawyer and lead counsel in several precedent-setting Armenian rights matters in U.S. and international courts all delivered keynote addresses.
Moreno Ocampo mentioned,“what happened in Artsakh, the blockade of the Lachin corridor was a form of genocide, under the Genocide Convention, since one form of genocide is the creation of conditions to destroy a group.”
Irene Victoria Massimino emphasized the necessity of repatriating the Armenian prisoners of war, captives, and political prisoners illegally held by Azerbaijan. Ms. Massimino added: “asking the Armenians of Artsakh to live under the Azerbaijani regime is to dictate them an unappealable death sentence.”
U.S. Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Condemns Piers Morgan for Neglecting to Report on Azerbaijan’s Alleged Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh
CNN International Anchor on Karabakh: Nobody was Looking, and then it Happened in 24 Hours
Moderna Chairman Noubar Afeyan speaks to Christiane Amanpour about the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from their indigenous homeland of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Adopts Declaration on the Humanitarian Situation in Karabakh and Neighbouring Cities and Regions
- Strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s military operation deplores humanitarian consequences;
- Calls on Azerbaijan to release all detained representatives of Karabakh, including at the local level;
- Acknowledges Azerbaijan’s promises for the rights and freedoms of Armenian residents.
Swedish MP Exposes Alleged Use of Racist ‘Wolf Salute’ by Azerbaijani Soldiers in Nagorno-Karabakh
This salute, universally considered a racist symbol associated with Turkish supremacy, has drawn comparisons to the Hitler salute and is deemed illegal in countries like France and Austria.The revelation raises questions about the safety of unarmed Christian Armenians in the region.
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
Disturbing Video Shows Azerbaijani Soldier Ransacking Children’s Room in Abandoned Home of Armenians in Nagorno- Karabakh
Azerbaijani Authorities Confiscated Armenian Passports of those Remaining in Nagorno-Karabakh
UNICEF: Voices of Resilience. Refugee Testimonials
“In general, the education level of children has dropped a lot, because of the gaps. I don’t think they will make it with just my explanation. They will need catch up classes.”
-Lusine, mother of three
“My husband took few clothes; I didn’t take anything. Only meat grinder that I just bought, nothing else, I left the TV, the computer and everything else at home.”
-Lilit, mother of three
Photos of the week
A young Armenian refugee gazes through the window of her grandfather’s truck, peering at the mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh—the very mountains that had, until that morning, constituted her home.
Photo Courtesy of Scout Tufankjian
A young girl occupies a spot outside a refugee registration center in Goris, Armenia, encompassed by the few belongings salvaged by her family from their residence in Herher village, Nagorno-Karabakh.
Photo Courtesy of Scout Tufankjian
A refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh feeds a child at a sports complex set up as a temporary shelter in the Armenian city of Artashat.
Photo courtesy of Karen Minasyan
Testimonies From Nagorno-Karabakh the World Ignored
The food shortage meant that Nagorno-Karabakh had little means to resist Azerbaijan’s military offensive. Confirms that Azerbaijan used starvation as a tool to starve the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Security
Armenia Steps up Military Ties with West as Relations with Russia Tumble
Armenia Distances Itself from Russia
- Armenia refused to host joint CSTO peacekeeping exercises.
- Armenia sat out CSTO drills in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan in
September and October. - Yerevan also refused to send a representative to serve as the CSTO’s deputy secretary general in March.
- Defence Minister Suren Papikyan has also sat out CSTO Council of Ministers of Defence meetings in 2022 and 2023.
Ignoring Dissidents Dooms Diplomacy
By Michael Rubin
“Just over a month ago, I highlighted the case of Gubad Ibadoghlu, a prominent scholar detained in Azerbaijan. Ibadoghlu remains in the Baku Detention Center, nearly comatose from the prison authority’s poor treatment of his diabetes. Doctors say he is now immobile and will not survive for long in his current condition. The government of Azerbaijan refuses to cooperate or communicate with the family directly. The Biden administration has been largely silent about Ibadoghlu’s arrest and his condition. During the same period, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke repeatedly with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Acting Assistant Secretary of State Yuri Kim visited Baku. There is no indication from readouts that Blinken raised Ibadoghlu’s case or that Kim sought to visit Ibadoghlu. Both may have believed that advocating for Azerbaijan’s chief dissident would impede their hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Nagorno- Karabakh dispute or an eventual peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
Armenia PM to The Wall Street Journal: Russian Peacekeepers Unable or Unwilling to Ensure the Safety of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh
Israel’s ‘Never Again’ Dilemma
By Stephan Pechdimaldji
And like the Jewish people, Armenians see these latest acts of aggression by Azerbaijan as a threat to their very existence and a continuation of the Armenian genocide of 1915, when more than 1.5 million Armenians were systematically exterminated by the Ottoman Turks.
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan Received U.S. Co- Chair of OSCE Minsk Group
Canada, Non-EU Member, Sends Observers to Armenia to Join EU Mission in Armenia
Amidst Fears of a New Azerbaijani Offensive, Global Powers Take Action in Southern Armenia
Armenia Army Chief Visits U.S. European Command Headquarters in Stuttgart
Armenia’s Representative at UN: Instead of Complying with Legally Binding Orders of Court, Azerbaijan is Busy with Embarking on Manipulative Distortions
BP Projects Have Helped Fund Azerbaijan Military Aggression
By Jillian Ambrose
BP’s fossil fuel projects in Azerbaijan have helped fund the military aggression against Karabakh Armenians though the transfer to billions of dollars to the Azerbaijan government since 2020, a campaign group has claimed.
Economy
Citigroup Discriminated Against Armenian Americans, Regulator Says
By Emily Flitter
“Citi stereotyped Armenians as prone to crime and fraud,” Rohit Chopra, the director of the consumer bureau, said in a news conference on Wednesday. “In reality, Citi illegally fabricated documents to cover up its discrimination.”
Opinion
Winter Looms for Nagorno-Karabakh’s (Already Forgotten) Refugees
By Will Neal
Over the course of just a few weeks, the exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh has gone from top international headline to mainstream media afterthought. Given developments in Israel and Gaza, this is unsurprising, but local and international aid groups are concerned the lack of attention may translate into inadequate funding to address the pressing needs of a newly displaced population as the harsh winter sets in.
Ending US Military Assistance to Azerbaijan Immediately
By Alex Little
While stopping American military support will not necessarily inhibit Azerbaijan’s current aggression from occurring — Israel and Turkey provide most of its military hardware — it will remove American complicity.
Refusing to provide another waiver to Section 907 is the right thing to do, as Azerbaijan’s use of military force clearly does not serve U.S. interests since it has led to a humanitarian crisis affecting over 100,000 Armenian civilians and could spark a middle-power conflict on the periphery of Europe.
The Azerbaijani Extermination of Nagorno-Karabakh
By Witold Repetowicz
Now, however, Aliyev wants to be seen as a tolerant ruler (“president”), and so he has ordered a group of his functionaries to pose as an “Albanian church,” while he shows foreign delegations that there are churches in his country. Most of the time these are locked and empty.
Another New War? Azerbaijan’s Heroes: Soldiers Who Behead Armenians
By Uzay Bulut
The US government also knows that the next step for Azerbaijan and Turkey is to attack the Republic of Armenia..It is high time that the West sanctioned the Azerbaijani government and held it accountable for treating Armenians in the most brutal ways. As long as Western governments continue their military and commercial cooperation with Azerbaijan and turn a blind eye to its mass atrocity crimes, they will remain complicit in Azerbaijan’s crimes.
Guardians of the Land: Understanding the Genocide Against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh
By Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
The majority of the population of Artsakh—some 100,000 people—fled in a matter of days into Armenia proper and are now living in makeshift refugee shelters. Officially, the Republic of Artsakh will cease to exist on January 1st, 2024. As I write this, Azerbaijani settlers are ransacking Armenian homes, drinking their wine, and burning their family photographs, digging up graves, and sandblasting ancient Armenian inscriptions in the stonework. Aliyev posed with a pomegranate tree in the de-populated city of Martakert, a particularly painful symbol given that an Armenian resident and civilian, Aram Tepnants, had been shot by an Azeribaijani sniper while tending to his pomegranate trees. On October 31st, 2023 The Lemkin Institute for Genocide prevention just released a “Red Flag Alert,” stating a high risk for genocide in Armenia. Emboldened by the world’s limp reaction, Azerbaijan continues to threaten more violence. He calls the entirety of Armenia “Western Azerbaijan.”
Armenians Deserve the Right to Return to Nagorno-Karabakh
By Karena Avedissian
Western mediators would do well to set aside timidity before a despot and deploy the leverage they most certainly possess. That’s because tomorrow’s oppressors are not distracted by the Hamas war. They know that what happened in the South Caucasus is a far more classic case of the democratic world abandoning an ally for fear of upsetting a dictator and losing access to Azerbaijan’s oil and gas resources. Don’t let that lesson stand.
A Regime Conceals Its Erasure of Indigenous Armenian Culture
By Simon Maghakyan and Sarah Pickman
Today, the scholar Argam Ayvazyan — like all those of Armenian ethnicity and background — is banned by Azerbaijan’s government from visiting his native Nakhichevan. Lamenting the loss of the monuments he so lovingly documented for decades, he decries the world’s silence. “Oil- rich Azerbaijan’s annihilation of Nakhichevan’s Armenian past make it worse than ISIS, yet UNESCO and most Westerners have looked away.” ISIS-demolished sites like Palmyra can be renovated, Ayvazyan argues, but “all that remain of Nakhichevan’s Armenian churches and cross-stones that survived earthquakes, caliphs, Tamerlane, and Stalin are my photographs.”
Armenia Is an Isolated Democracy in Crisis
By Mark Dietzen
Armenia’s democracy is in danger. If the United States and its democratic partners fail to stand with Yerevan and stand up to Baku, the broader consequences for the region could be dire. Strong political, economic, and security support will be crucial to ensuring that Armenia can continue on the path of democracy and that autocrats in Baku and beyond think twice before pursuing further acts of aggression.
World Media Silent as Azerbaijan Bombs Armenian Hospitals and Schools
By Uzay Bulut
The question demands an answer: Why have most Western media outlets been so blind and apathetic in response to the past three years of the Artsakh Genocide?