Condemning Azerbaijan's blockade of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and ongoing human rights violations.

Subjects: International Affairs


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 108 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






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. Sanchez, Mr. Auchincloss, Mrs. 
    Napolitano, Ms. Titus, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Porter, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. 
     Cardenas, 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. Barragan, 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 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 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 man-made 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 President 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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor 
        to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh);
            (2) encourages the United States Government and 
        international community to petition the United Nations Security 
        Council, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in 
        Europe, and other appropriate international bodies to 
        investigate any and all war crimes committed by Azerbaijani 
        forces;
            (3) calls on the United States Government to work swiftly 
        with international partners, including authorities in Artsakh, 
        regarding the deployment of international observers to the 
        Lachin Corridor and Artsakh to explore opportunities for more 
        effective and sustainable guarantees of security and peaceful 
        development.
            (4) calls on the President to immediately suspend any new, 
        current, or pending military or security assistance from the 
        United States to Azerbaijan, and to fully enforce section 907 
        of the FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5812 note);
            (5) supports United States sanctions under existing 
        statutory authority against Azerbaijani officials responsible 
        for the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and other well-documented 
        human rights violations committed against Armenians in the 
        region such as the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the 
        destruction of historic, cultural, and places of worship of 
        great significance to Armenians; and
            (6) supports a robust program of sustained United States 
        humanitarian and development assistance to the Armenian victims 
        of Azerbaijani aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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