U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff calls out Azerbaijan for illegally holding numerous Armenian POWs

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. United States Congressman Adam Schiff has called out Azerbaijan for illegally holding numerous Armenian prisoners of war.

According to confirmed data, Azerbaijan is holding 33 Armenian prisoners of war from the 2020 war. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement that ended the war, Azerbaijan was to release all POWs and other detainees but it failed to do so. According to numerous human rights advocates the number of Armenians POWs illegally jailed in Azerbaijan is much higher.

“To this day, Azerbaijan continues to illegally hold numerous Armenian prisoners of war, while the fate of many who are still missing remains unknown,” Schiff said on Facebook. “My thoughts are with the families in Armenia and Artsakh still missing loved ones. I pray for their safe return, even as I pray for an end to the brutal blockade,” he added.

In July 2023, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of trying to use Armenian prisoners of war as a bargaining chip.