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Letter to U.S. Representatives who have not cosigned (Letters will be sent individually)
Dear Representative:
I am writing to ask you to join with Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) in calling upon Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ramp up U.S. pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian hostages by imposing Global Magnitsky Sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for their unlawful detainment and other war crimes.
To this day, Azerbaijan continues to arbitrarily detain at least 23 Armenian prisoners – captured during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and during the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in 2023. Armenian detainees have been subject to torture and abuse in custody and denied legal due process. Azerbaijan has recently commenced sham trials against unlawfully detained Armenian POWs and recently expelled the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) – the only entity authorized to visit Armenian prisoners – jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of detainees.
During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Secretary Rubio led and supported efforts to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes – including under the Global Magnitsky Act. In recent weeks, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has also called for Azerbaijan to immediately release Armenian detainees.
Global Magnitsky Sanctions represent a powerful tool to leverage the release of Armenian prisoners and ensure Azerbaijani officials are held accountable for gross human rights violations.
Thank you for your consideration of my request. I look forward to hearing of your actions on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,