2024-08-29 12:33:33
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week unanimously passed a pro-Armenian motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, seconded by Supervisor Holly Mitchell.
According to Asparez newspaper, the letter-mediation, signed by all members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, calls on the US President Biden’s administration to take clear steps to solve the issue of illegal detention of Armenian hostages by Azerbaijan.
The petition also calls on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan’s leadership under the Magnitsky Global Accountability Human Rights Act for Azerbaijan’s illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners and hostages, and to end the United States’ All military and economic aid allocated to Azerbaijan.
In addition, the motion calls on the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to take active steps to pass Resolution 861 (sponsored by Congressman Adam Schiff and co-sponsored by Congressmen David Valadao and Gus Bilirakis), which calls on Azerbaijan immediately release all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians. The West Bank staff of the Armenian Dat Committee and members of other Armenian community organizations attended the hearing in support of the adoption of the petition.
The petition was submitted in light of growing concerns about the inhumane treatment of Armenian hostages illegally detained in Azerbaijan and the conditions of their detention.
Azerbaijani authorities relatively recently arrested and detained three of Artsakh’s former presidents, former Artsakh Foreign Minister Davit Babayin and former Minister of State Ruben Vardanyan, as well as Artsakh Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan.
In 2022, the West Coast Committee of the American Armenian Party awarded Babayan the “Freedom” award, and organized a discussion with Vardanyan in the early days of Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh.
Azerbaijan also illegally arrested civilians, including 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who was arrested at a checkpoint illegally set up by Azerbaijan while being transferred to Armenia for emergency medical treatment by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“This is about responsibility,” said Barger, the author of the initiative. – We must hold Azerbaijan responsible for the violation of humanitarian rights. As leaders of a country that is home to a large number of Armenians outside of Armenia itself, we must do everything in our power to use our voices to condemn Azerbaijan’s human rights violations and call for the return of all Armenian hostages and prisoners of war. We have a moral obligation to do this. I am proud to stand next to the Armenian community and express solidarity.”
“The conflict between the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia affects the Armenian community in Los Angeles County,” Supervisor Mitchell noted. He added: “We must make it clear that these crimes against humanity will not be tolerated by our government – “We support the Biden administration in urging the government of Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and working towards a lasting peace solution in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.”
The West Coast Committee of the Armenian Caucus has called on the Armenian community to take action to urge members of the US Congress to take immediate and tangible action to end Azerbaijan’s illegal detention of Armenian hostages and demand accountability for Azerbaijan’s crimes against humanity.