Breaking
As COP29 approaches, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Congressman Frank Pallone, and 60 members of Congress are urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take decisive action against Azerbaijan’s human rights violations before the global climate summit in November.
- Highlights Azerbaijan’s worsening human rights record and its ongoing violations of international law.
- Urges the State Department to press Azerbaijan for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians.
- Condemns the country’s inflammatory rhetoric toward Armenia and its lack of accountability for ethnic cleansing and other actions.
- Notes that as of the end of 2023, Azerbaijan had detained several Nagorno- Karabakh political leaders and at least 23 prisoners of war, with many unaccounted for or extrajudicially killed by Azerbaijani soldiers or law enforcement.
- Emphasizes the importance of regional cooperation on clean energy and urges the U.S. to strengthen its partnership with Armenia to reduce reliance on Russia.
- Calls for the U.S. State Department, in consultation with the Department of Energy, to explore greater U.S.-Armenia clean energy cooperation.
- Cites Armenia’s proactive stance on sustainable energy, including the approval of the Energy Saving and Renewable Energy Program for 2022-2030, focusing on solar energy development and other zero-emission energy sources.
Armenian Bar Association Files Global Magnitsky Sanctions Complaint in the US Against Erdoğan-Linked Military Contractor
The Armenian Bar Association has filed a complaint under the Global Magnitsky Sanctions program against SADAT International Defense Consultancy, a military contractor linked to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, alleging human rights abuses.
Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and Genocidal Policy
CSI Event at UN Highlights Azerbaijan’s Armenian Hostages
The lives of dozens of ethnic Armenians unlawfully detained by Azerbaijan are in mortal danger, a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council has heard.
Speakers at the October 1 event hosted by Christian Solidarity International (CSI) urged the international community to bring pressure to bear on Azerbaijan to release the detainees from Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia it seized between 2020 and 2023. The speakers included four leading Armenian advocates for the detainees.
Yale Review of International Studies Highlights: Portraits of Erasure – The Ethnic Cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh
From September 26-29, 2023, Anoush Baghdassarian, field researcher for the University Network for Human Rights, documented the experiences of refugees streaming into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. The photos and testimonies gathered along the border bore witness to the final stage of Azerbaijan’s years-long campaign to empty Nagorno-Karabakh of its Indigenous Armenian population.
Armenian Culture in Artsakh is Facing Erasion
One year after they invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azeris are destroying historical and religious symbols in the former enclave. The cultural inheritance of the Armenians is being annihilated.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Addresses Humanitarian Challenges and Nagorno-Karabakh at Warsaw Conference
During Plenary Session on Humanitarian Issues I at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Dafna Rand, reiterated the U.S. commitment to reviewing violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses, particularly in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Lawyers for Ruben Vardanyan, Arbitrarily Detained in Baku, File Torture and Due Process Claims
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
The ‘Black Garden’ Becomes ‘a Black Corner’ for Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians
‘It was cruel,’ says Sona, a refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh, reflecting on the last year. She misses everything from home, and says that she and her family have not yet overcome the shock of the war.
‘Even now, when there is thunder, my eldest daughter is afraid,’ she says, adding that she found her daughter in tears during a storm one night,
something she had never done before the autumn of 2023.
Two Mothers, Same Struggle: Survival
Evelina and Alvard. They are 2 mothers who faced the same nightmare during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They ran away for safety twice to neighbouring Armenia during the conflicts. They lost family members, and they witnessed terrible things when leaving their homes behind. Now, they are trying to build a new life from scratch despite all the challenges and hardships.
Photos of the Week
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Kristina Kvien, visits Yerablur military cemetery on the anniversary of the war, paying respects to the soldiers who lost their lives.
Photo Courtesy of US Embassy in Armenia.
Around 40 representatives from the EU Delegation to Armenia and partner organizations travelled to Syunik to hike the Legends Trail.
Photo Courtesy of EU Armenia.
Security
Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Meets with U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Official
The sides discussed the regional security situation and touched upon several issues concerning the extra-regional security environment.
Armenia, Jointly with U.S. Department of Defense, Holds Unprecedented CBRN Response Exercise
‘Our Aim is to Transform Armenia into an Advanced High-Tech Hub,’ U.S. Ambassador
USAID empowers Armenia’s tech sector and drives economic development.
UNFPA Regional Director to Visit Armenia for Discussions on Demographic Resilience
Florence Bauer, UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, will conduct her first visit to Armenia. The visit highlights UNFPA’s dedication to supporting the Armenian government and its partners in bolstering demographic resilience, advancing the country’s new demographic strategy, and addressing key issues such as sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and youth empowerment.
NATO International Military Staff Director General Visits Armenia
Moscow Fears Further Expansion Of EU Border Mission In Armenia
An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Monday that the European Union is planning to triple the number of its monitors deployed along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan on a mission strongly opposed by Russia.
Russian Security Chief Warns Against Western Military Presence In Armenia
EU Slams ‘Nonsense’ Comments by Russian FSB Chief about Armenia
U.S. Ambassador Awards Certificates of Appreciation to Armenian Police Officers who Saved Kidnapped American Citizen
The U.S. embassy shared photos on social media of Ambassador Kvien presenting certificates of appreciation to Armenian law enforcement officers. Ambassador Kvien conveyed the deep gratitude of the entire U.S. embassy team to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Armenian police for their efforts in safely rescuing a kidnapped American citizen and ensuring the perpetrators were brought to justice.
Armenia and EU Officials Discuss Security Cooperation and European Peace Facility Support
Armenian-Azerbaijani Peace Process Hits a New Speed Bump
Aliyev Again Threatens Armenia, Rails Against U.S.
Human Rights
USAID-Funded Research Finds High Perceived Level of Freedom of Expression in Armenia
The 2024 report reveals that the majority of respondents perceive a high level of freedom of expression in Armenia, consistent with findings from 2023. The research, part of the USAID-funded Media Program in Armenia, was conducted by Internews and covers both societal and media perspectives.
Pace Debates Deteriorating Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Democracy in Azerbaijan
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held a debate on the worsening human rights, rule of law, and democratic situation in Azerbaijan. Concerns were raised over Azerbaijan’s lack of cooperation in monitoring processes, its human rights record in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the imprisonment of over 300 individuals on political grounds.
Read HRW Report on Azerbaijan’s Escalating Crackdown on Critics and Civil Society
Economy
U.S. Embassy Yerevan and American Councils for International Education Armenia Celebrate the Achievements of U.S. Exchange Alumni
Opinion
Harris Lebanon Aid Package Exposes US Insincerity Toward Armenians
By Michael Rubin
Just over a year ago, Azerbaijan attacked the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. That was five days after the State Department falsely assured the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the United States would never tolerate military action against the democratic, self-governing entity.
Don’t Taste the Caviar During COP-29
By Rasmus Canbäck
In the lead-up to this year’s climate summit, COP29 in Azerbaijan, the host country’s lobbying efforts have intensified. Rasmus Canbäck writes about his own experiences of being subjected to influence attempts and advises COP29 participants to be vigilant about them.
How Azerbaijan is ‘Peacewashing’ its Image Ahead of COP 29
By Nick Cleveland-Stout
In a warning to fellow journalists ahead of the summit, Canbäck, the Blankspot journalist, said “Remember, the caviar served at dinner signals an expectation of loyalty upon your return home.”
The media, it would seem, is helping itself to the caviar.
Cynical Synergy—Why the Israeli-Azerbaijani Alliance Is a Blueprint for War-Driven Diplomacy
By Eldad Ben Aharon
The Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance demonstrates continuity, strategy, and a pattern of cynically benefiting from the escalation of mass violence and trade. Above all, this alliance shows great resilience.
What I saw in Armenia and why the American Church Needs to Care
By Jim Garlow
As an American pastor and a political observer for almost 50 years, I call upon all Christians in the United States to put a stop to this conference (COP29) and at the very least demand a change of venue for this event. Instead of attending this conference, the international community should instead hold Azerbaijan accountable and shine a light on the atrocities of the regime and demand that the prisoners be returned and the refugees of Artsakh to return their beloved homeland in peace and security.
As COP29 Nears, Azerbaijani Authorities Target Peace Activists and Independent Voices
By Rovshan Mammadli
As Azerbaijan gears up to host COP29 in November 2024, Azerbaijan authorities continue to intensify the crackdown on civil society has intensified, with the latest arrest in August making waves both domestically and internationally.
The EU and the South Caucasus: Geoeconomics at Play
By Tinatin Akhvlediani
Security concerns are reshaping the economic and foreign policy trajectories of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. As these nations navigate complex choices about their future paths, the EU should recognize the geostrategic importance of the South Caucasus and strengthen its ties with the region.
To War or Not to War? Russia’s Coaxing and Aliyev’s Dilemma
By Michael Rubin
Taking Putin’s bait would be a costly miscalculation for Aliyev, especially at a time when Azerbaijan faces internal weaknesses and the Middle East is embroiled in an escalating proxy war. Instead, working towards institutionalizing regional stability and predictability in the South Caucasus is essential, though not sufficient, for a smooth transition for Azerbaijan’s post-oil economy and securing the stability of Aliyev’s regime.