Serious Atrocities, Torture, Murders: Schiff Accuses Azerbaijan

U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives demanding that Baku immediately release Armenian prisoners of war, detained civilians, and political prisoners, including officials from the Artsakh government who were unlawfully arrested during Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing last month.

The resolution specifically calls on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for the illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war.

Pointing to the November 9, 2020 tripartite statement regarding the ceasefire, in which all parties agreed to the "exchange of prisoners of war, hostages, and other detained persons," Schiff noted that three years later, Azerbaijan has yet to release all prisoners of war and continues to detain more, including those captured during the aggression at the end of September 2023.

"Azerbaijan is already guilty of serious atrocities committed during the last war, and by continuing to hold Armenians unlawfully, it exacerbates the issue. Azerbaijan's treatment of these detainees, including torture and murders, poses a direct threat to international law," the resolution states.

The Congressman's resolution emphasizes that Azerbaijan must not only return all Armenian prisoners of war and hostages immediately but also provide information regarding the status of those still imprisoned and the missing.