US Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to hold hearing on ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress will hold a hearing on the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, the commission said in a press release.

“Since the government conducted a military operation to gain full control over Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, the situation for ethnic Armenians in the enclave has changed dramatically. By the end of 2023 virtually all of them fled to Armenia. The hearing will examine this apparent ethnic cleansing and a number of related issues, including the situation of prisoners of war and political prisoners, the status of Armenian cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the right of return of ethnic Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh,” the commission said in its press release.

It cited the report by Freedom House which shows Azerbaijan’s notoriously poor human rights record.

According to Freedom House, “Power in Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime remains heavily concentrated in the hands of Ilham Aliyev, who has served as president since 2003, and his extended family. Corruption is rampant, and the formal political opposition has been weakened by years of persecution. The authorities have carried out an extensive crackdown on civil liberties in recent years...”

The hearing will also examine the Azeri government’s treatment of members of the ethnic Azerbaijani majority who have been victims of domestic and transnational repression due to their opposition to the government and its policies, and the relation between corruption and human rights abuses. Witnesses will offer recommendations for Congress.

The hearing will be held in person and is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media.

The hearing will be hosted by Members of Congress, Co-Chairs of the commission Chris Smith and James McGovern.