II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 244 

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

and ongoing human rights violations. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 8, 2023 

Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the 

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

RESOLUTION 

Condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Armenians of 

Nagorno-Karabakh and ongoing human rights violations. 

Whereas Azerbaijani forces, in violation of international obligations to resolve disputes with Armenia and NagornoKarabakh peacefully, conducted a large-scale, unprovoked 

invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh 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 Convention; 


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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, on September 13, 2022, Azerbaijani forces mounted 

an illegal and unprovoked assault on Armenian territory, 

including the cities of Vardenis, Sotk, Artanish, 

Ishkhanasar, Goris, and Kapan; 

Whereas Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia, which was launched 

on September 13, 2022, is a flagrant violation of Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation 

of international law; 

Whereas the November 9, 2020, ceasefire statement ending 

the 2020 war signed by Azerbaijan clearly states in Article 6, ‘‘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 

peacemaking forces . . . The Republic of Azerbaijan 

shall guarantee the security of persons, vehicles, and 


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

Whereas Armenia has made progress towards unblocking regional rail connections, including rail lines connecting 

Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan, in accordance with the terms 

of the 2020 ceasefire statement; 

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 between 

Nagorno-Karabakh and 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 Nagorno-Karabakh, 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 a 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 Nagorno-Karabakh; 

Whereas the Department of State has warned, ‘‘Closure of 

the Lachin Corridor has severe humanitarian implications 

and sets back the peace process’’ and has publicly called 


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on the Government of Azerbaijan ‘‘to restore free movement through the corridor’’; 

Whereas Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with 

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on January 23, 

2023, ‘‘to urge an immediate reopening of the Lachin 

corridor to commercial traffic’’ and ‘‘underscored that the 

risk of a humanitarian crisis in the Lachin corridor undermined prospects for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan’’; 

Whereas, on February 18, 2023, the International Court of 

Justice ordered Azerbaijan ‘‘to ensure the unimpeded 

movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the 

Lachin Corridor’’; 

Whereas the United States serves as a co-chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Minsk 

Group, along with France and the Russian Federation, 

and is committed to sustainable, long-term peace in the 

region; and 

Whereas the United States and the international community 

have not been able to undertake any direct humanitarian 

support or relief efforts to address the needs of Armenian 

victims in Nagorno-Karabakh since the deadly invasion 

by Azerbaijani forces in October 2020: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns Azerbaijan’s blockade of the 

3 Lachin Corridor to Nagorno Karabakh; 

4 (2) encourages the United States Government 

5 and international community to petition the United 

6 Nations Security Council, the Organization for SecuVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:00 Jun 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR244.IS SR244

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1 rity and Co-operation in Europe, and other appro2 priate international bodies to investigate any and all 

3 war crimes committed by Azerbaijani forces against 

4 Armenian civilians; 

5 (3) calls on the United States Government to 

6 work swiftly with international partners, including 

7 civil society organizations, regarding the deployment 

8 of international observers to the Lachin Corridor 

9 and Nagorno-Karabakh to explore opportunities for 

10 more effective and sustainable guarantees of security 

11 and peaceful development; 

12 (4) calls on the President to immediately sus13 pend any United States new, current, or pending 

14 military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, and to 

15 fully enforce section 907 of the FREEDOM Support 

16 Act (22 U.S.C. 5812); 

17 (5) supports United States sanctions under ex18 isting statutory authority against Azerbaijani offi19 cials responsible for the blockade of Nagorno20 Karabakh and other well-documented human rights 

21 violations committed against Armenians in the re22 gion, such as the targeting of civilian infrastructure 

23 and the destruction of historic, cultural, and places 

24 of worship of great significance to Armenians; and 


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1 (6) supports efforts by the United States, the 

2 European Union, and the international community 

3 to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of Az4 erbaijani aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Æ 


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