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