By Martin Makaryan
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress held a special hearing on “safeguarding the people of Nagorno-Karabakh” to discuss the current situation unfolding in and around the region, as well as avenues for congressional action.
The Commission is a bi-partisan body created in 2008 to engage in, promote, and advocate for human rights around the world. While the Commission does not have a legislative authority to advance bills and acts as a forum for consultations, hearings provide an opportunity for members of Congress to more actively engage in human rights issues.
The panel of witnesses included Ambassador Sam Brownback, former U.S. Ambassador-At-Large for Religious Freedom under the Trump Administration; Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; David Philipps, researcher at Columbia University; and Ambassador John Evans, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia from 2004-2006.
All the witnesses highlighted the growing threat of ethnic cleansing and a humanitarian catastrophe as Azerbaijan prohibited any movement of passenger and cargo transportation through the Lachin corridor—the only route that connects Karabakh to Armenia and to the rest of the world.
Ambassador Brownback highlighted the coordinated efforts of Turkey and Azerbaijan to “strangle Nagorno-Karabakh” and called on the Congress and the Biden Administration to act immediately. Discussing the ongoing Washington-led diplomatic process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, he called on Congress to codify into law security guarantees for Karabakh’s Armenians by passing a Nagorno Karabakh Human Rights Act. Brownback did not elaborate on the specifics that such a law could entail.
Brownback also called for a congressional trip to Nagorno-Karabakh and to enforce Section 907 of the U.S. Freedom Support Act which would ban any kind of military assistance or arms sales to Azerbaijan. Since the Global War on Terror after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. Presidents, including Joe Biden, have routinely waived this section citing national security concerns and provided millions of dollars of security assistance to Azerbaijan’s government.
Michael Rubin, a prominent expert who has written extensively about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, also highlighted the need to enforce Section 907 to send a clear message to Azerbaijan. “President Aliyev has changed, and grown more erratic over the last decade. I’d say his trajectory is almost analogous to what we saw with Saddam Hussein,” said Rubin. Philipps agreed with Rubin’s assessment, explaining that, “a second Armenian Genocide is underway.”
Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, a grassroots organization representing the Armenian-American community in Washington, told CivilNet that the message of this congressional hearing was clear: “Artsakh is in danger of a genocide,” and U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan must be halted.
“The hearing also reflects a growing congressional consensus that any solution placing Artsakh within the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan is a death sentence for the Armenians of Artsakh,” added Hamparian.
According to sources who attended the hearing, the Ambassador of Armenia to the United States Lilit Makunts or any official representative of the Armenian government were not in attendance. The hearing was open to the public.
Congressmen James McGovern and Christopher Smith, the Co-Chairs of the Commission who hosted the hearing, promised to take the testimonies into account as they contemplate possible avenues for the Congress to take action. Congressman McGovern promised to hold a second hearing on Nagorno-Karabakh in July, but this time in the House Foreign Affairs Committee where legislation can be proposed and discussed.
