Congressman Brad Sherman Urges Support for Bipartisan Amendment Calling for Release of Armenian POWs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, joined representatives of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), fellow Members of Congress, and Armenian American community leaders in a press conference on Capitol Hill to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian prisoners of war and political detainees currently held by Azerbaijan.
The press conference comes ahead of a House Foreign Affairs Committee vote on Congressman Sherman’s amendment calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian POWs and political prisoners. The amendment, which has garnered bipartisan support, presents an opportunity for the Foreign Affairs Committee to formally condemn Azerbaijan’s continued detention of Armenians.
"For years, Azerbaijan has tortured, denied fair trial, and in some cases even executed Armenian POWs," said Congressman Sherman. "The continued detention of Armenian prisoners of war and political detainees is unacceptable and contrary to basic principles of human rights and international law. Azerbaijan must immediately and unconditionally release every Armenian detainee it holds, and I look forward to the House Foreign Affairs Committee vote calling on Azerbaijan to do so."
The press conference followed recent bipartisan approval by the House Foreign Affairs Committee of Sherman's amendment to the House Foreign Service Act declaring that Azerbaijan should immediately release all Armenian prisoners and political detainees in its custody.
Sherman noted that numerous reports from international organizations, human rights advocates, and legal experts have raised serious concerns regarding the treatment of Armenian detainees and the conditions under which they are being held.
"The United States must continue speaking clearly and forcefully on behalf of those unjustly detained," Sherman continued. "Congress has a responsibility to ensure that human rights abuses do not go unanswered. I am pleased that this amendment received bipartisan support, and I will continue working with my colleagues to advance it through the legislative process."
Sherman has long been one of Congress's leading advocates for Armenia and the Armenian people, including through legislation, oversight efforts, and repeated calls for accountability regarding Azerbaijan's actions in the region.
A video of today's press conference is available here.
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