WASHINGTON—U.S. lawmakers, Armenian community advocates, coalition partners and Artsakh genocide survivors gathered on Capitol Hill at the Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) “Accountability | 2024” event, marking a full year of impunity for Azerbaijan’s September 19-20, 2023, military offensive and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. Azerbaijan’s attack, after 10 months of blockade, culminated in the genocide of over 120,000 indigenous Armenians from their historic Artsakh homeland.
The September 19 Capitol Hill program was the capstone of a week-long advocacy “fly-in” organized by the ANCA Eastern and Western regions, which brought over 75 chapter leaders and activists from across the U.S. to the nation’s capital. The delegation met with legislators to advance a broad array of measures aimed at holding Azerbaijan accountable, aiding Artsakh refugees and forging a path for the safe return of Armenians to Artsakh under international protections.
ANCA National Grassroots Director Gev Iskajyan, who worked in Artsakh for two years throughout the blockade and subsequent forced deportation of the Armenian population, opened the program with powerful remarks: “Today, we gather not just to remember, but to demand justice. A year has passed since the final blow of Azerbaijan’s assault on Artsakh, and yet, the international community remains silent. This is not just a loss of territory but a loss of culture, identity, and history — an entire people forcibly uprooted from their ancestral home. We refuse to accept this as the end. We demand the right of return for every displaced Armenian under international protection. ‘Artsakh lives’ because its spirit is alive in every one of us fighting for justice.”
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the House Appropriations Committee who has been a tireless advocate for expanded aid to Artsakh refugees, emphasized the ongoing need for action. “From the Armenian Genocide 100 years ago to the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh just last year, your resilience has spanned centuries. We must ensure that Armenians who were forcibly displaced are compensated without forfeiting their right to return to their homes,” stated Rep. Meng, who also highlighted her support for the bi-partisan Artsakh Revenue Recovery Act, introduced this week by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), who visited Artsakh and was subsequently banned from Azerbaijan by President Ilham Aliyev as a result, expressed her horror at the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenians: “It is heartbreaking to consider that the people I met just a few years ago are now refugees. The United States must reject this ethnic cleansing and stand clearly for democracy, self-determination and peace.” Chu also criticized Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29, noting, “Azerbaijan, a country with a shameful human rights record, should not be given the platform to rehabilitate its image through the COP29 conference.”
Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI), who reiterated Iskajyan’s powerful mantra – ‘Artsakh Lives’ – called for unwavering commitment to human rights. “We cannot and will not be silent in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. Our dedication to human rights is ironclad,” stated Rep. Amo, who expressed his support for efforts to hold Azerbaijan accountable through the Artsakh Revenue Recovery Act.
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), who is of Armenian and Assyrian descent and has long fought for justice for Turkey and Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions, expressed deep frustration over the lack of international action: “The world failed to act, and Azerbaijan has yet to face meaningful consequences for its crimes. We must ensure that the right of return is honored, and that the cultural heritage of Artsakh is preserved.”
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who condemned Azerbaijan’s ongoing cultural genocide against Artsakh’s Armenians, highlighted the need for true justice: “True justice is when displaced Armenians can return to their ancestral homes, where they have lived for more than a millennium. We cannot allow Azerbaijan to erase their history and heritage.”
Congressional Armenian Caucus founding Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who has visited Artsakh more than any other U.S. legislator, reiterated the Artsakh people’s right to return to their homes: “We’re going back… that’s the bottom line.” Rep. Pallone referenced his most recent bi-cameral effort with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), circulating a letter regarding Azerbaijan’s hosting of the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference to showcase Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions and ongoing repression of human rights.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, underscored the moral responsibility of the U.S.: “It is important that the United States and the international community work together to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of ethnic Armenians from their homes. And it is important, quite frankly, that we be louder and more forceful in our advocacy, because I believe, and I know all of you believe, that if the United States of America stands for anything, we need to stand out loud and four square for human rights.”
Central Valley Californian Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) explained, “I believe this tragedy we look back upon as a warning. The civilized nations of the world cannot ignore injustice and conquest and genocide without encouraging more of it and ultimately bringing it upon themselves. I think all of us in the United States government, all of us in Congress, look back with regret that we focused our attention elsewhere as this tragedy unfolded.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spoke to the shared experiences of displaced peoples: “I want you all to know, no matter who it is, I will be always consistent in fighting against ethnic cleansing, again, no matter where it happens. And you all give me so much hope.”
Other members of Congress who joined in marking and condemning Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh were Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair David Valadao (R-CA), who had visited Artsakh in 2019, and New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
In his moving keynote remarks of the evening, Republic of Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan explained that a year after the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, despite the inadequate response of the international community to prevent this genocide, “we do not have the right to give up our fight for the return of our people, the preservation of our culture, and the release of our prisoners.”
The evening’s closing prayer was offered by Fr. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, the abbot of Artsakh’s historic Dadivank Monastery, who survived Azerbaijani bomb attacks on his home, targeted for his defense of Armenian religious and cultural sites. He described Azerbaijani brutality during the Artsakh war, blockade and subsequent ethnic cleansing, noting: “If the entire world would have recognized the 1915 Armenian Genocide today, there would have not been another one happening. And if we do not recognize the Artsakh genocide today, there are going to be more to follow.”
The event featured images from a photo exhibit — Real-Time Genocide: Artsakh — by Artsakh photojournalist Davit Ghahramanyan, an eyewitness to Azerbaijan’s aggression, who captured the human toll of Baku’s 2020 military attack and the 2023 blockade and subsequent forced expulsion of Artsakh’s Armenians. His photos showcase the resilience and humanity of Artsakh’s Armenians in the face of relentless brutality and highlight their determination to return home. The exhibit is a stark reminder of the human cost of Azerbaijan’s aggression, and serves as a call for global recognition of Artsakh’s aspirations for peace and justice.
The full photo exhibit, curated by Ghahramanyan and renowned Artsakh writer and poet Hermine Avagyan, is presented at the Russell Rotunda from September 19-27, made possible through the leadership of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and the efforts of the ANCA and Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association.
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Armenian American daydreamers!
Which Armenian is going to trust their life to a Turk?
150,000 Armenians going back to Artsakh would require 150,000 soldiers to safeguard their lives.
No Armenian is ever going back.
Excellent initiative. Sadly there was no word in your report about the US obligations to Armenia and Armenians which took the form of Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award (WWAA)1920.
The WWAA is timeless and legally binding, yet the U.S. administration continues to ignore its existence. This silence contradicts U.S. principles. The USA continues appeasing genocidal Turkey and Azerbaijan.
The USA’s omission of the key term “Armenian Question” when addressing the genocide has weakened the legal force of the WWAA and undermined the profound moral foundation established by Near East Relieve(NER). Even more. The actions of Secretary Blinken and Samanta Power during and after the blockade of Artsakh contradict American laws and principles, yet they continue to occupy important chairs in the current administration with no regret.
-Part of a “Conceptual Framework for Resolving the Armenian Question” is:
1. Turkey owes Armenians $312.79 billion for material losses as determined at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The US forced Germany to pay $43 billion to the British, France, and Belgium but was and is silent about Turkey’s obligations to Armenians for material losses, to give free access to the Black Sea via Trabson, and to create a demilitarized zone around Armenia.
2. It is time for the U.S., Russia, and France to break their century-long silence on Western Armenia(WWAA) and Cilicia and act on their commitments.
3. Ethnic cleansing of Artsakh is only one link in the chain of events led by Turkey to create a Turan. The world community must condemn that idea as a fascist, expansionist ideology that threatens global stability with terrorism and undermines NATO.
4. The U.S. must address the stolen gold from Armenian genocide victims, which remains in American banks. This is a moral failure that must be rectified.
These statements are the excepts from the #46 letter addressed to President Biden, asking him to stop the silence about the WWAA, NER, and above mention issues. President Obama was fearful of displaying an “Orphan Rug”. The psychological issues of President Trump and the ignorance of his administration let the “44-day war” happen in 1920. Now our president has forgotten what he promised during his “Armenian Genocide” recognition speech. The US saved the Armenian nation 100 years ago. Now the US is failing to speak the whole truth about the Armenian Genocide and the legacies of Presidents Roosevelt, Wilson, and Coolidge. The administration had forgotten “Golden Rule Sunday”. Moreover, our current administration remains silent on the genocide of Artsakh committed by the same Turkey and Azerbaijan. American leadership on these critical issues is vital. The letter was sent on behalf of the 24,196 co-signers on Change.org.
Instead of giving the traumatized and dispossessed Artsakhi refugees false hopes about an impossible return to Artsakh, why don’t we hear about any plans and announcements on how to integrate, provide homes and provide jobs to the Artsakhis in Armenia, and give them Armenian citizenship?
After bombarding, terrorizing, blockading, starving and then ethnically cleansing all the Armenians from Artsakh, Azerbaijan began to systematically destroy the entire Armenian heritage in Artsakh, the vast majority of which is already destroyed, and is in the process of destroying the rest.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan announced that every building built in the past 32 years (corresponding to the duration of the Republic of Artsakh), are “illegal” and will be demolished. They used that excuse for demolishing the parliament of Artsakh as well as other government and public buildings representing Artsakh.
Azerbaijan has demolished entire villages and apartment blocks of Armenians, that are decades older than the Republic of Artsakh. They even destroyed the possesions of the Armenian inhabitants who fled.
When Azerbaijan is engaging in a systematic cultural Armenian Genocide in Artsakh, which they are not even hiding, and which they plan to populate with 150,000 fanatical rabidly Armenophobic Azeris starting in 2025, can someone please realistically explain how Armenians can return and live there under Azerbaijani jurisdiction and among Azeris?
The Artsakhi refugees must not languish indefinitely in limbo with false hopes, like Palestinian refugees, but must be integrated in Armenia and given Armenian citizenship ASAP.
@Steve M quite so Armenia must avoid the betrayal of the Arktash Armenians and offer citizenship and a grant to establish themselves. The situation the “brotherly Arabs” with the exception of Jordan allowed to develop for the Palestinians is a cynical betrayal and have given false hope ever since 1948 and used as a political device to smear Israel without seriously providing any restitution and Armenia is fully within its means to avoid such a scenario. With Armenian traces being obliterated and the area being thoroughly azerified it might be same place geographically but that’s it and simply won’t want to remain it will not be stepakerat but kahendhi and so on and so forth Azeri flag everywhere Alyiev personality cult implemented and the issue of right of return being used to leverage Azeri demands for azeris who lives in Armenian SSR being allowed to return with the protection of Azerbaijan ..
@Charles,
Use some logic here. How many Azerbaijanis do you think will dare to come to Armenia to live after all the events taken place for the last thirty years? I’m guessing none! They might as well dig up their own graves because that is what they will be doing. And the idea of doing so under Azerbaijani protection made me laugh. This is yet another excuse by that vindictive Azerbaijani chicken-hawk Ilham Aliyev, diminished in manhood witnessing his father’s humiliation at the hands of the Armenians three decades ago, not to sign any peace deal with Armenia while he has terrorist Turkey by his side to dictate to our incompetent Armenian globalist, sorry excuse for a leader, sheep-in-chief Pashinyan to squeeze him for every and all concessions he can. He knows the window of opportunity is closing in on him and he is trying to maximize his gains and capitalize on one-time opportunity presented to him in absence of a TRUE patriotic Armenian leader who will put him in his place like the former leaders put his KGB father in his place.
If! they have the confidence of Azeri state protection and effective extraterritoriality then they WILL freely stream into Armenia and not just to recover remains! UN protocols won’t allow Azerbaijan to claim extraterritorial rights on any Azeri resident in Armenia as such a ruse was popular with Hitler who ended up leading Germans to the abyss although it’s unlikely he intended this! Anyway the UN is fast loosing creditability and is showing the effects of three score and ten years and increasingly moribund and schlerotic. Azeri desires to seek some international (UN?) protocols to limit Armenian military levels now that the stupefying tie in with Russia is declining, have as much chance of international support as Armenia had for Arktash. Whilst Pashinyan is a poor leader the hard truth is that the advantage Armenia had previously had deminished over the years although this would only be exposed incontrovertibly in 2020. It’s important to remember that 1994 was an advantageous ceasefire only (there being no surrender by Azerbaijan nor formal acknowledgement of a loss of authority and whilst achieved against the odds with better resolve and factionalism in Azerbaijan helped aswell but that isn’t actually defining the outcome and to exaggerate indeed the tendancy to do led to misplaced confidence. Azerbaijan suffered a defeat but not as much of one as perceived in Armenia. It wasn’t alike the defeat of Nazi Germany nor even the defeat of imperial Germany or Napoleonic France and it was a tragic error fuelled by the epic against the odds achievement led to an exaggeration of the reality. Separately a conjecture insinuated by some Russian nationalists and the pro Russian Armenians that the defeat of 2020 was due to Russia witholding support was rather debunked in 2022 when TB2 drones in Ukrainian service savaged Russian forces in much the same way and I thought well if the Russian’s can’t protect their own then there was no way they would have been able to do the same for Armenia. On you tube in 2022 shortly after the invasion an optimistic pro Ru Armenian correctly stated that Azerbaijan wasn’t going to get support from the west in the way Ukraine is, I responded that is correct but Russia priority is Ukraine and Armenia isn’t and didn’t receive a response subsequent events namely the destruction of what was left of Arktash at the time under nominal Russian protection has grimly borne this out.
when Armenia had full control of lachin, agdam, fuzuli etc in artsakh, no level of shouting or UN resolution could convince Armenia to let the 700,000 or so displayed azeris to return. To play this futile game now of Armenians returning after the war is just a waste of resources when focus can be directed to more acute problems Armenia and Armenians face. It’s like a “Great lip forward” level of uselessness, done for the sole purpose of avoiding more pressing issues. more Armenians from artsakh will leave for Russia, USA and Europe before ever going back to Azerbaijan. No serious investor will invest in Armenia when the threat of conflict hangs over its Head, that’s why normalizing relationships in the region is paramount yesterday not now. Armenia is the most isolated country in the Caucasus take it or leave it. Armenia can’t hope to truly diversity from Russia if it doesn’t have peace with Turkey and Azerbaijan, because distant USA or France or India will not save Armenia.
@Vagharshak M. Pilossyan M.D.
Do you really think the Turks care about the Law or History?
The Turks only understand the reality of power enunciated through brute strength, anything else is a senseless daydream.
American Armenians never do anything except cause trouble for Armenia.
I think what is missing from discussion here is not so much whether or not Artsakh Armenians can or can not return to their homes in their ancestral lands snatched away from them and in which they had lived for thousands of years and from where they were ethnically cleansed by ways of blockade, forced starvation and terrorist acts by Azerbaijan. What is important is to keep the discussion of their return alive and on the agenda because the chicken-hawk KGB MAFIA leader of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the khan of Baku, has no choice but to step aside and let these people return. If he rejects this move and refuses to do so, that will seal his fate as one who planned and acted on the ethnic cleansing and therefore he will be legally and internationally liable for his criminal action. If he ever takes such a stand it will show intention and premeditation to commit such an act. In such a case, I am certain the ICC will issue a warrant for his arrest. That’s why Aliyev is quiet about this and does not say much other than saying Armenians left on their own. But of course we all know they did no such thing and had no intention of leaving but had to do so because their lives were in danger if they did not. You don’t desert your home handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years and decide to pack up and leave practically overnight! You see, you need to know the TRUE Azerbaijani Turkish character, which I know quite well, to know why Armenians of Artsakh had to leave. They would have been subjected to intimidation tactics, discrimination and all sorts of other things, including physical harm, both by the local Azerbaijani populations as well as their criminal army.
Think about it folks, would Azerbaijanis treat the unprotected and defenseless Artsakh Armenian populations fairly and as equals? Of course not! We defeated them in utmost humiliating fashion and kept them at bay for thirty years despite their petrodollar wealth and three times the populations. They won’t forget this in the next thousand years. These are people who murdered hundreds of Armenians in 1988-1990 in Sumgayit, Baku, Kirovabad (Armenian Gandzak aka Genje) in broad daylight and in front of the watchful eyes of their police force who stood aside and let it happen and these were Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan having nothing to do with the conflict hundreds of miles away. Their sadistic army desecrated and destroyed a 1,300-year old ancient Armenian cemetery in Julfa-Nakhijevan in 2005 and built a terrorist training camp in its place. They have destroyed and erased anything and everything that could bear witness to Armenian existence on lands under their control. The intention and premeditation to target an ethnic group to harm or physically remove them from their ancestral lands has much more legal weight and it is much more of a factor and plays an important role in the conviction of leaders for ethnic cleansing and genocide than the number of victims involved in such an act. We must assist and accommodate these displaced people while working on their ultimate and secured return to their homes. The next stage should be to convict Aliyev as a criminal in an international court.
Ironic, this political posturing is by the same US that installed the puppet Pashoglu, who was instructed by them to distance Armenia from Russia, destabilize the security of Artsakh and leave it vulnerable to azeri aggression and ultimately give it up. The Armenians cant go back now to the territory they’d lived on for 2,500 years. Not without Armenia taking it back by force. Which is inconceivable right now. They first have to remove the puppet.