Breaking
International Criminal Court (ICC) Welcomes Armenia as a New State Party
Aliyev’s So-called “Re-Election” Marred by Repression and Crackdowns
Irredentist Azerbaijani Officials Launch Attacks on U.S. Senator
Azerbaijani government officials have rebuked United States Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after he made a string of statements in recent days critical of Azerbaijan. Cardin along with fellow senator Elizabeth Warren (D- Massachusetts) called on US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to stop assisting human rights abusers, citing Azerbaijan as a prime example. Days later, Cardin criticized what he called Azerbaijan’s “anti-democratic tactics,” which he said must end “to be part of the international community.”
Baku Deports Swiss Election Monitor and Nagorno-Karabakh Supporter
Armenian Cultural Heritage in Karabakh Threatened: Monitoring Group Urges Baku to Ensure Protection of Armenian Cultural Heritage in Karabakh
The greatest threat right now is to the Armenian cultural heritage sites on territories that have passed into Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction, because of the country’s documented policy of zero-tolerance for Armenian cultural remains.
Recently Azerbaijani media published footage showing that the cross was removed from the church in Vankasar, Nagorno-Karabakh.
U.S. Congress
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin Introduces Human Rights Defenders Protection Act
Global ARM Endorses Bill
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act of 2024. “Human rights defenders are heroes in the fight for democracy and freedom,” said Chair Cardin. “Yet, attacks against them are rapidly growing around the world, underscoring an urgent and critical need for the United States to do more to protect and support them.”
“The Human Rights Defenders Act is one of the most important human rights legislation ever introduced in Congress,” said Global ARM President Timothy Jemal. “Human rights defenders protect liberty and freedom every day under threats and crackdowns from abusive regimes around the world. Global ARM urges swift, bipartisan passage of the bill.”
House Members Introduce Legislation Repealing Section 907 Waiver
U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) has introduced bipartisan legislation that would repeal the authority of the Executive Branch to waive Section 907 sanctions and provide military aid to Azerbaijan. The bill, H.R. 7288, is co-sponsored by Reps. Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ).
In November, the Senate unanimously approved legislation, the Armenian Protection Act (S. 3000), which bars the President from waiving Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act and providing military aid to Azerbaijan for two years. S. 3000 is sponsored by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and cosponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators.
Congressman Brad Sherman Hosts Congressional Briefing on Azerbaijan’s Ongoing Human Rights Abuses Against Armenians
Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) hosted former Nagorno- Karabakh Ombudsman and State Minister on Capitol Hill for a Congressional briefing.
- Sherman urged the enforcement of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, sanctioning the Aliyev regime for the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Congressman Sherman urged the Biden Administration to provide defensive military weapons to Armenia, “to avoid the next tragedy, which is being planned in Baku.”
Congressman Jim Costa Advocates for Awareness on Azerbaijan’s Atrocities in Nagorno-Karabakh
“We shed light on Azerbaijan’s atrocities and the need to support the over 120,000 displaced refugees from their homeland of Artsakh,” Costa wrote in his X account.
Senator Ed Markey Leaders Bipartisan Calls for Accountability Over Azerbaijan’s Actions in Nagorno-Karabakh
“We must hold Azerbaijan’s government accountable for its crimes against the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh—because military action has never achieved stability in the region. My resolution with Senator Bill Cassidy is a key step towards peace and the protection of human rights,” wrote Markey in his X account.
World Leaders, NGOs Condemn Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
Center for Truth & Justice Reveals Shocking Evidence of Azerbaijani Genocidal Intent, Armenian Hate in Groundbreaking Report
The Center for Truth & Justice (CFTJ) published a report, “To All State Parties of the Genocide Convention: Azerbaijan’s Policy of Irredentism.”
- Sheds light on Azerbaijan’s alarming genocidal Armenophobia, backed by concrete evidence, revealing a disturbing state-sponsored policy. This includes the renaming of streets in Nagorno- Karabakh after the masterminds of the Armenian 1915 genocide.
- Presents facts and evidence published by the Government of Azerbaijan, clearly displaying its state-sponsored policy of irredentism. The aim is to make illegal territorial claims against Armenia, justifying plans to partially or wholly destroy the Republic of Armenia.
British Embassy Advocates for Preservation of Armenian Cultural Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijani Government
“The UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno Karabakh is an important issue. The British Embassy in Baku has raised this with the Azerbaijani government,”
Tariq Ahmad, UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Commonwealth and United Nations, said in response to a written question by Lord Bishop of St Albans.
Freedom House Endorses Resolution Urging U.S. Report on Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Violations, Including Nagorno- Karabakh Offensive
Freedom House expresses its endorsement of the bipartisan resolution put forth by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
“We’re pleased to endorse Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.)’s bipartisan resolution requesting that the State Department produce a report on Azerbaijan’s human rights practices, including the regime’s blockade of and military offensive in Nagorno- Karabakh. Human rights abuses must be a key consideration in US security assistance, and we encourage other Senate members to support this bill’s passage,” said Freedom House in a statement.
Baroness Cox Condemns Alleged Murders of Armenians By Azerbaijan as War Crime
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
Testimonies from Nagorno-Karabakh that the World Ignored
“I was afraid that they’d kill me,” recounted Elmira
Abrahamyan, who endured Azerbaijani captivity, as she shared a
harrowing incident: “There was also a woman there, she ran
away, Azerbaijanis asked me if I saw her, I said no.” Tragically,
they slaughtered her. The victim was a 35-40-year-old woman from Horatagh village of Nagorno- Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees Face Difficult Exile in Armenia
Armenia has formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the hope of being able to use its judicial mechanisms to protect itself against Azerbaijan.
Last September, Azerbaijan initiated an unprovoked offensive, compelling tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. Now grappling with poverty, these displaced individuals hold onto the dream of returning to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh. Zarine Hayriyan, a refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh, describes the sudden onset of the conflict:
“After all these wars, the 90s, the 2020, when the war started on September 19th it was terrible we had no idea we were going to survive.”
1,000 Children Displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Spend Holidays in Hungary
Single Mother Safeguards Family Heirlooms Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Displacement
Lilit Sargsyan, a 36-year-old single mother and school teacher, was one of the many indigenous Armenians who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. Despite the chaos, she managed to salvage two cherished family heirlooms: a worn family-woven carpet and earrings made from silver coins that once adorned her great grandmother’s traditional Armenian headpiece, known as a taraz.
Photos of the week
Shushi, once vibrant in Nagorno- Karabakh, now abandoned and desolate.
Photo Courtesy of Radio Free Europe.
Setrag Balian, an Armenian activist, defiantly stands in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, symbolizing resistance against a controversial real estate deal threatening the community’s survival.
Photo Courtesy of Álvaro García.
Braving winter, a refugee child from Nagorno-Karabakh clutches a USAID aid bag.
Photo Courtesy of People in Need.
Security
Armenian PM Receives the US Ambassador to Armenia
Armenian Ambassador-at-Large: Azerbaijan Does Not Want Peace in Region or Signing Peace Treaty with Armenia
EUMA Head Hosts European Dignitaries
The head of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) hosts high-profile guests, including Commander for external missions of the National Gendarmerie of France, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, and Ambassador of Belgium in Armenia.
Meanwhile, the EU Ambassador in Azerbaijan condemns baseless allegations by the Azerbaijani media against EUMA, reaffirming its civilian observation mandate and commitment to peace efforts in the region.
Discussions on Inter-Parliamentary Dialogue Between Armenia and Azerbaijan May Take Place in Geneva
Azerbaijani President Threatens to Exit Top European Bodies
Azerbaijan’s president has said that his country may consider leaving top European bodies, such as the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Court of Human Rights.
Azerbaijan’s Identity Issues: Closer to Russia, Away from the West
By Bahruz Samadove
Azerbaijan’s trajectory suggests a tilt towards Moscow, marking a significant shift in its geopolitical stance.
Representatives of Military Academies from Armenia and France Discuss Cooperation Issues
Opinion
Desperation for Peace Is the Best Guarantor of War
By Michael Rubin
Talks continue quietly between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Armenian counterpart Armen Grigoryan as the Biden administration seeks to conclude within months, if not weeks, a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Why The U.S. Faces A Strategic And Moral Imperative To Intervene In Nagorno-Karabakh
By Colette Yamashita Holocomb
With the world’s eyes on Gaza and Ukraine, many are missing the
growing security crisis brewing in another geopolitical hotspot: the
Caucuses. Indeed, military experts, politicians, and humanitarian
organizations fear Turkey and Azerbaijan will exploit the lack of attention on themselves to invade Armenia.
Business as Usual for EU and Azerbaijan Amid Nagorno- Karabakh ‘Ethnic Cleansing’
By Lucy Martirosyan and Siranush Sargsyan
EU’s ‘concern’ for ethnic Armenians comes after it signed multi-billion- euro deal with country that persecuted them.
Don’t Forget the Armenia Refugees of Artsak
By James Day
In September, the Islamic nation of Azerbaijan invaded its neighbor Armenia. The result was a massive upheaval for those who call Artsakh home. Since then, fleeing Armenians — the vast majority of whom are Christian — have endured the constant threat of danger and the deprivation that followed.
Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev Jails Independent Journalists to Secure his Dynasty
By Jeanne Cavelier
The Aliyev family has ruled Azerbaijan with an iron hand since 1991. When Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father in 2003, the persecution of independent media became one of the hallmarks of his regime.
Azerbaijan’s New Faces of Caviar Diplomacy
By Rasmus Canbäck
Where there are grey zones in transparency regulations and
loopholes in codes of conduct, Azerbaijan is there to influence. In
this context, foreign journalists face the challenge to give voice to
the people of Azerbaijan, without letting the regime’s agenda, which
is nurtured by the regime’s dubious methods and hence breeds mistrust, control neither the analysis nor the reporting.
What’s Next After the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh?
By Maya Sgaravato-Grant
The diffuse idea that swathes of Armenia rightfully belong to Azerbaijan shows little sign of dwindling, potentially heralding violence in the near future.
Fights, Settlers, and a Luxury Hotel: An Opaque Land Deal Puts Jerusalem’s Armenians on the Warpath
By Antonio Pita
A 1,500-year-old community has risen up to defend its home in the Old City fearing that a land deal is a maneuver by Jewish ultranationalist organizations that is being covered up by the war in Gaza.
