IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 108 

Condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh 

(Artsakh) and ongoing human rights violations. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2023 

Mr. PALLONE (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. 

SHERMAN, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Mr. 

AUCHINCLOSS, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. TITUS, Mr. TONKO, Ms. PORTER, 

Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. COSTA, Ms. ESHOO, 

Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SWALWELL, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, 

Mr. LIEU, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. 

CHU, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. MENG, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. 

SARBANES, Ms. WILD, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. 

RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. LAWLER, Mr. LANDSMAN, 

Mr. GOLDEN of Maine, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. TRONE, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. MAGAZINER, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. 

CICILLINE, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. 

WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mr. 

GOMEZ, Mr. RUIZ, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Mr. ESPAILLAT, 

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, and Mr. KEAN of New Jersey) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Armenians of 

Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and ongoing human rights 

violations. 

Whereas Azerbaijani forces, in violation of international obligations to resolve disputes with Armenia and Artsakh 


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•HRES 108 IH 

peacefully, conducted a large-scale, unprovoked invasion 

of the Republic of Artsakh in October 2020; 

Whereas President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has used vitriolic rhetoric to call for the ethnic cleansing of indigenous 

Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and his regime has consistently violated important international humanitarian 

legal agreements during the 2020 war and up until the 

present date, including the Universal Declaration of 

Human Rights, the United Nations Charter, and the Geneva Conventions; 

Whereas evidence of Azerbaijani violations of international 

humanitarian law during the 2020 war are well-documented by reputable nongovernmental organizations such 

as Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of 

Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights 

Watch, and the International Committee of the Red 

Cross; 

Whereas mass human rights violations committed by Azerbaijani forces in the 2020 war included rocket strikes on 

civilian infrastructure like medical facilities and schools, 

the decapitation of civilians, the use of white phosphorus 

munitions, the torture and extrajudicial killing of Armenian prisoners of war, the hiring of foreign mercenaries, 

and the targeting of historic monuments, works of art, 

and places of worship with great cultural and spiritual 

significance to Armenians; 

Whereas the November 9, 2020, cease-fire statement ending 

the 2020 war signed by Azerbaijan clearly states in Article 6 that, ‘‘The Lachin Corridor (5 km wide), which will 

provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia while not passing through the territory of Shusha, 

shall remain under the control of the Russian Federation 


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•HRES 108 IH 

peacemaking forces. . .The Republic of Azerbaijan shall 

guarantee the security of persons, vehicles and cargo 

moving along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.’’; 

Whereas, on December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan created a manmade humanitarian crisis by implementing an extended 

blockade of the Lachin Corridor under the guise of a civilian protest; 

Whereas the Lachin Corridor serves as a vital lifeline connecting the Republic of Artsakh to the Republic of Armenia and its blockade prevents food, critical medical supplies, and other essentials from reaching 120,000 people; 

Whereas Azerbaijan has taken dangerous, escalatory steps 

that have severely worsened the quality of life for the 

people living in Artsakh, including 30,000 children, 

20,000 elderly individuals, and 9,000 people with disabilities, through the sabotage of civilian infrastructure such 

as a critical natural gas pipeline, power transmission 

lines, and fixed-line internet; 

Whereas the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in the region have not lived up to their role as defined by the November 9, 2020, statement, doing little to disperse 

Azerbaijanis blocking the Lachin Corridor, deescalate the 

situation, or prevent other Azerbaijani aggressions 

against the Armenian population in Artsakh; 

Whereas the Department of State has warned the ‘‘Closure 

of the Lachin Corridor has severe humanitarian implications and sets back the peace process’’, and publicly 

called ‘‘on the Government of Azerbaijan to restore free 

movement through the corridor’’; 

Whereas the Department of State reported that Secretary of 

State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s PresiVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR108.IH HR108

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•HRES 108 IH 

dent Ilham Aliyev on January 23, 2023, ‘‘to urge an immediate reopening of the Lachin corridor to commercial 

traffic. He underscored that the risk of a humanitarian 

crisis in the Lachin corridor undermined prospects for 

peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.’’; 

Whereas the United States serves as a Co-Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk 

Group, along with France and Russia, and is committed 

to sustainable, long-term peace in the region; and 

Whereas the United States has not been able to undertake 

any direct humanitarian support or relief efforts to address the needs of Armenian victims in Artsakh since the 

deadly invasion by Azerbaijani forces in October 2020: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns Azerbaijan’s blockade of the 

3 Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh); 

4 (2) encourages the United States Government 

5 and international community to petition the United 

6 Nations Security Council, the Organization for Secu7 rity and Co-operation in Europe, and other appro8 priate international bodies to investigate any and all 

9 war crimes committed by Azerbaijani forces; 

10 (3) calls on the United States Government to 

11 work swiftly with international partners, including 

12 authorities in Artsakh, regarding the deployment of 

13 international observers to the Lachin Corridor and 

14 Artsakh to explore opportunities for more effective 


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•HRES 108 IH 

1 and sustainable guarantees of security and peaceful 

2 development. 

3 (4) calls on the President to immediately sus4 pend any new, current, or pending military or secu5 rity assistance from the United States to Azerbaijan, 

6 and to fully enforce section 907 of the FREEDOM 

7 Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5812 note); 

8 (5) supports United States sanctions under ex9 isting statutory authority against Azerbaijani offi10 cials responsible for the blockade of Nagorno11 Karabakh and other well-documented human rights 

12 violations committed against Armenians in the re13 gion such as the targeting of civilian infrastructure 

14 and the destruction of historic, cultural, and places 

15 of worship of great significance to Armenians; and 

16 (6) supports a robust program of sustained 

17 United States humanitarian and development assist18 ance to the Armenian victims of Azerbaijani aggres19 sion in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Æ 


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