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

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 Cali- fornia, 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 obli- gations to resolve disputes with Armenia and Artsakh VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR108.IH HR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •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 vitri- olic rhetoric to call for the ethnic cleansing of indigenous Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and his regime has con- sistently 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 Ge- neva Conventions; Whereas evidence of Azerbaijani violations of international humanitarian law during the 2020 war are well-docu- mented 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 Azer- baijani 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 Arme- nian 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 Arti- cle 6 that, ‘‘The Lachin Corridor (5 km wide), which will provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Ar- menia while not passing through the territory of Shusha, shall remain under the control of the Russian Federation VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR108.IH HR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •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 man- made humanitarian crisis by implementing an extended blockade of the Lachin Corridor under the guise of a ci- vilian protest; Whereas the Lachin Corridor serves as a vital lifeline con- necting the Republic of Artsakh to the Republic of Arme- nia and its blockade prevents food, critical medical sup- plies, 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 disabil- ities, 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 re- gion have not lived up to their role as defined by the No- vember 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 implica- tions 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 Presi- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR108.IH HR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 108 IH dent Ilham Aliyev on January 23, 2023, ‘‘to urge an im- mediate 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 Orga- nization 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 ad- dress 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 (1) condemns Azerbaijan’s blockade of the 2 Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh); 3 (2) encourages the United States Government 4 and international community to petition the United 5 Nations Security Council, the Organization for Secu- 6 rity and Co-operation in Europe, and other appro- 7 priate international bodies to investigate any and all 8 war crimes committed by Azerbaijani forces; 9 (3) calls on the United States Government to 10 work swiftly with international partners, including 11 authorities in Artsakh, regarding the deployment of 12 international observers to the Lachin Corridor and 13 Artsakh to explore opportunities for more effective 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR108.IH HR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 108 IH and sustainable guarantees of security and peaceful 1 development. 2 (4) calls on the President to immediately sus- 3 pend any new, current, or pending military or secu- 4 rity assistance from the United States to Azerbaijan, 5 and to fully enforce section 907 of the FREEDOM 6 Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5812 note); 7 (5) supports United States sanctions under ex- 8 isting statutory authority against Azerbaijani offi- 9 cials responsible for the blockade of Nagorno- 10 Karabakh and other well-documented human rights 11 violations committed against Armenians in the re- 12 gion such as the targeting of civilian infrastructure 13 and the destruction of historic, cultural, and places 14 of worship of great significance to Armenians; and 15 (6) supports a robust program of sustained 16 United States humanitarian and development assist- 17 ance to the Armenian victims of Azerbaijani aggres- 18 sion in Nagorno-Karabakh. 19 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR108.IH HR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS