[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4011-S4012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Azerbaijan

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak out against 
Azerbaijan's unlawful detention of Armenian prisoners of war and 
alarming record of rampant human rights violations.
  On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military 
attack against Nagorno-Karabakh to gain full control over the 
territory, causing a mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic 
Armenians--virtually all of the region's ethnic Armenians--as well as 
the regional government to capitulate.
  Azerbaijan then falsely denied that it forced people to leave and 
insincerely promised that it will peacefully reintegrate the region and 
guarantee the rights of ethnic Armenians.
  Instead, even after their surrender, Azerbaijan punitively arrested 
and detained leaders of the former Karabakh Government, including 
former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who is here as he is being 
arrested by Azerbaijan military officials.
  Also, ex-Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik 
Harutyunyan, Foreign Minister David Babayan, Parliament Speaker Davit 
Ishkhanyan, and former generals, Levon Mnatsakanyan and Davit Manukyan. 
These eight former officials have been held in pretrial detention for 
more than 8 months. And just last month, Azerbaijani authorities 
extended the detention with another 5 months--without a trial, without 
due process--and Azerbaijan has routinely resorted to hostage 
diplomacy, prolonging unlawful detention and using prisoners of war as 
bargaining chips to impose its demands on Armenia, in clear violation 
of international law.
  In fact, Azerbaijan is still holding dozens of Armenian prisoners of 
war and civilian political prisoners that it took captive during the 
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. And, additionally, widespread reporting--
including from Human Rights Watch, the International Federation of 
Federal Rights, and the U.S. Department of State--calls attention to 
the terrible treatment of political prisoners by Azerbaijan.
  Former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan alone has faced punitive 
extended stays in solitary confinement, poor prison conditions, denial 
of water and clean clothing, and orders that require him to stand for 
hours on end. He

[[Page S4012]]

was also cut off from his lawyer and family for several weeks. Others 
are subjected to physical abuse, humiliation, and cruel and inhumane 
treatment.
  Despite its clear pattern of committing human rights violations, 
Azerbaijan has incurred few costs from the international community for 
its egregious abuses against ethnic Armenians and illegal detention of 
political prisoners. The Aliyev regime thinks it can continue acting in 
flagrant violation of international and U.S. law, which is why it is 
incumbent upon Congress to speak out and say no to Azerbaijan; no to 
hostage diplomacy and Azerbaijan's taking of political prisoners; no to 
subjecting political prisoners to cruel and inhumane punishment; no to 
denying the rights of ethnic Armenians in the region; and no to 
Azerbaijan delaying the release of the political prisoners even 1 more 
day.
  Azerbaijan must cease all of its abuse of political prisoners. It 
must release all political prisoners and prisoners of war, and that is 
why I sent a letter to Secretary Anthony Blinken urging the State 
Department to prioritize the release of Armenian prisoners held by 
Azerbaijan and the right of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenians to return to 
their homes in ongoing peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
  Azerbaijan says it wants peace, but what it really wants is to act 
with impunity and still be rewarded by the United States and the 
international community, including with the privilege of hosting the 
next United Nations International Climate Conference COP29 later on 
this year. You cannot, on the one hand, be saying you want to host the 
world and then simultaneously say but ignore our human rights 
violations. Ignore the fact that we just arrest the political leaders 
of another nation and pretend that somehow or another we are still 
worthy of hosting the climate summit for the planet.
  I urge both Congress and the White House to insist, in all 
interactions with the Governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia, that the 
release of political prisoners must be a prerequisite to any 
concessions, awards, or peace deals reached. We must say no to 
Azerbaijan's violations of international law and human rights and 
ensure those responsible are held accountable.
  This is the perfect time to be having this conversation. Azerbaijan 
is getting ready to host the climate summit of the world. We must 
ensure that we take this opportunity to put the spotlight on all of 
those political prisoners who are being held wrongly by the Azerbaijan 
Government. It is strictly a violation of international human rights, 
and I call upon our government and I call upon the world to put a 
spotlight on these political prisoners so that they are released before 
the climate summit is held at the end of this year.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas.