Calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 240 Calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 16, 2021 Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. VALADAO, Ms. TITUS, Mr. COSTA, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. CICILLINE, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. CHU, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. BEYER, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. SIRES, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. LIEU, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. NUNES, Ms. OMAR, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, and Mr. SUOZZI) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians. Whereas, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan, with support from Turkey and foreign militia groups, launched a mili- tary assault on Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, resulting in the deaths of thousands and dis- placing tens of thousands of ethnic Armenian residents; Whereas, on November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a tripartite statement to end the conflict; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Mar 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR240.IH HR240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 240 IH Whereas in signing the November 9 statement, all parties agreed that the ‘‘exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees as well as the remains of the fatali- ties shall be carried out’’; Whereas the Third Geneva Convention, of which Azerbaijan is a signatory, and customary international law require the release of prisoners of war and captured civilians upon the cessation of hostilities and require that all de- tainees be treated humanely; Whereas, despite Azerbaijan’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions and their commitments in signing the No- vember 9 statement, more than 100 days after the end of the conflict, the Government of Azerbaijan continues to detain an estimated 200 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, misrepresenting their status in an attempt to justify their continued captivity; Whereas Human Rights Watch reported in December 2020 that Azerbaijani military forces had mistreated ethnic Ar- menian prisoners of war and subjected them to ‘‘physical abuse and humiliation’’; Whereas Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights issued a report on the conflict that ‘‘document[s] crimes against humanity and other atroc- ities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces and Turkish- backed Islamist fighters against Armenians’’, including beheadings, summary executions, and the desecration of human remains; Whereas there is limited reliable information about the condi- tion or treatment of prisoners of war and captured civil- ians, and there is significant concern that female detain- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Mar 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR240.IH HR240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 240 IH ees in particular could be subject to sexual assaults and other mistreatment; Whereas Azerbaijan’s continued detainment of prisoners of war and captured civilians calls into serious question their commitment to human rights and negotiating an eq- uitable, lasting peace settlement; Whereas Armenia has fulfilled its obligations under the No- vember 9 statement and international law by returning Azerbaijani prisoners of war; and Whereas the United States, along with France and Russia, is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group which was cre- ated to seek a durable and peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) calls upon Azerbaijan to immediately return 2 all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians; 3 and 4 (2) urges the Secretary of State to engage at all 5 levels with Azerbaijani authorities, including through 6 the OSCE Minsk Group process, to make clear the 7 importance of adhering to their obligations, under 8 the November 9 statement and international law, to 9 immediately release all prisoners of war and cap- 10 tured civilians. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Mar 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR240.IH HR240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS