Sacramento, CA – Today, Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) introduced a resolution calling on the Biden Administration to urge Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian POWs, hostages and other detained persons held by Azerbaijan, suspend all military and economic assistance to Azerbaijan, and to work with the international community to ensure the protection and preservation of Armenian cultural heritage sites.
The resolution also affirms California’s support for H.Res.861 by Representative Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), which urges the American government and international community to stand up to the gross human rights violations being perpetuated against the Armenian community by the Aliyev regime and to return all prisoners back to their families.
“The remaining POWs, hostages, and other detainees must be immediately released by Azerbaijan and returned safely to their families,” said Senator Archuleta. “In disregard of human rights and international law, Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian civilian, military, and political leaders hostage. With over 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from their homes in Artsakh, California and the United States must unite in holding the Azerbaijani government responsible for these repeated, horrific assaults on the Armenian people.”
In September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. In December 2022, Azerbaijan began a blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Artsakh and Armenia. This blockade deprived Artsakh, including 50,000 children and elderly, from food, medicine, and other critical supplies. Following 10 months of the blockade, Artsakh endured an unprovoked assault by Azerbaijan that resulted in the forced displacement of nearly the entire Armenian population of Artsakh.
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“We welcome the resolution introduced by Senator Bob Archuleta, which sheds light on the suffering of the people of Artsakh, especially POWs, hostages and detainees illegally held captive by the tyrannical regime of Azerbaijan,” said Ruben D. Karapetian, Government Affairs Director of the ANCA – Western Region. “The release of all Armenian POWs, hostages, and detainees is paramount and only feasible by holding Azerbaijan and members of the Aliyev regime accountable for its continued violations of international law.”
On December 7, 2023, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to exchange prisoners of war, signaling that a peace agreement between the two countries would be reached. Despite this, at least 36 Armenian prisoners remain in Azerbaijani custody and a significant number of soldiers and civilians remain missing. Azerbaijan has notably held eight former military and political leaders of Artsakh captive as political hostages since September 2023, including three former Presidents of Artsakh.
The Third Geneva Convention, Article 118, which Azerbaijan is a signatory of, requires the release of POWs and captured civilians upon the cessation of hostilities. California and the United States must take the lead in holding Azerbaijan accountable for the violence and suffering their Government has committed and continues to commit against the Armenian people.
This resolution is Joint Authored by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank), Chairman of the Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange.
Senator Bob Archuleta currently represents the 30th Senate District, which includes portions of Los Angeles County and Orange County. He is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, and a member of the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, Government Organization Committee, Transportation Committee, as well as the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management.
